Superficial
by ConflictedCalypso
Summary: On the surface, Rachel Berry has it all – she's living in her favourite city, has the dream job and the perfect fiancé. But things aren't always as they seem, and she's feeling more and more unhappy with each passing day. However, when an old acquaintance appears out of the blue, it just might turn her 'perfect' world upside down… Canon-ish up until S4, eventual Faberry.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

**Hello, all **

**This is my first attempt at writing this pairing and in this fandom. I have little knowledge of theatre, or Broadway shows, or New York, so apologies for any inconsistencies with that. Any reviews/opinions are always welcome. Other than that, enjoy. **

"E-excuse me, Ms Berry, could I… Could I please have your autograph?" Turning at the sound of the timid voice, Rachel Berry put on her most winning smile as she was confronted with a girl who couldn't have been much older than sixteen, and who reminded her strongly of herself at that age. Her hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail, and the sweater she was wearing looking like it could have come straight out of teenage-Berry's closest.

"Of course you can," she murmured, taking the proffered pen and taking the programme that the younger girl was holding. "What's your name, sweetie?"

"Sarah," the girl replied, struggling to maintain eye contact for more than a few seconds. With another smile, Rachel signed the programme for Spring Awakening with her usual flourish, adding her signature star after her name. She handed it back and the girl took it with a whispered thank you before she turned and was lost into the crowd of New York traffic.

Still smiling, Rachel pulled her coat tighter around her to ward off the chill in the air, and began the short walk to her apartment. The theatre where Spring Awakening was being put on was in the centre of Times Square, and she'd managed to luck out and get a great (somewhat affordable), deal on an apartment just a few blocks away.

The show had finished over two hours ago, but she never went home right away. She liked to reflect on her performance, both alone and with her castmates, before she left each night. She liked the streets at night – even at one in the morning there were still people about, still many lights on in the tall buildings, blotting out the stars in the night sky above.

When she reached her apartment building she stopped briefly to check the post, noting with interest the larger brown envelope with a handwritten note from her agent on the front:

Managed to get an early copy, turn to the theatre page and enjoy! Todd.

Curious as to what could be inside; she hurried to the elevator and clicked the button for the eleventh floor. She was in the hallway before the doors had even opened fully, only pausing briefly to admire the view offered by the large windows on either side. Even after she'd been living in the city for years, New York still managed to take her breath away some days.

Her apartment was dark, which didn't surprise her. She heard the loud snoring of her fiancé, Finn, coming from their bedroom, and laying the envelope on the table in the sitting room she went to stand in the doorway, wondering at what point their relationship had gone so… Stale.

He'd used to go to every one of her shows, back when she'd first started out, and sat in the front row. After a few months he'd only come once a week, and then once a month, and now… Now she barely saw him. He was always working, or out with friends, or doing something to avoid her. She could barely even remember the last time that he'd taken her out on a date.

With a wistful sigh she turned and made her way to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and an apple to eat before throwing herself onto the sofa, switching the TV on quietly. She opened the mysterious brown envelope eagerly, astounded when a brand new copy of the New York Times fell out.

She leafed through the section indicated on Todd's note and had to keep her squeal of delight contained when she saw what was top of the contents – Spring Awakening. The headline read Broadway's newest rising star, Rachel Berry, blows audience away in stunning performance.

Grinning, she turned to the page and read, her excitement growing with each word. The New York Times were a big deal – to be heralded in a review was huge, especially for someone who was relatively unknown. Rachel had been in a several shows since she'd finished at NYADA two years ago, but they had all had smaller audiences - Spring Awakening was her biggest break yet, and she'd been over the moon when she'd landed the main part. It had only been running for two weeks, so to get so much recognition so quickly – it was a big deal.

She was so happy at the acclaim in the review that she almost overlooked the writer of the article – but when she did her jaw dropped in shock.

_Written by Quinn Fabray._

She stared at the name for a few seconds longer, finger absently tracing the print. Quinn Fabray. She hadn't heard of Quinn for years. Their tentative friendship at the end of senior year had quickly faded as they both started new lives, with Rachel at NYADA and Quinn at Yale. She could hardly believe that the ex-cheerleader had done well enough for herself to be writing for the NYT at such a young age.

On impulse, Rachel switched on her laptop and opened google, searching Quinn's name. It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for – an email address. She copied the address and logged onto her own email, typing a quick message:

_I have to say, I'm impressed and surprised by your review. It's a startling difference from the days where you used to mock my singing on my Myspace videos. Hard to believe we've both come so far since then, I must say – the New York Times? Colour me impressed._

She sent it before she changed her mind, her heart racing slightly, though she couldn't place why. It had been a long time since she'd thought about her fellow Glee clubbers from McKinley High - aside from Finn, obviously, and Kurt, who was also starring in a Broadway show, she had no idea what the others were up to.

It made her curious, but googling the names Mercedes Jones, Santana Lopez, Brittany Peirce, and the rest didn't come up with many results. She checked her email one last time before she logged off, realizing she should probably go to bed – it was nearing half two, and she should get a good night's sleep to be fully prepared for the next night's performance.

Flipping the lights off as she went, she stripped down to her underwear once she was in her bedroom and glanced again at Finn. He was splayed across the bed, wearing only boxers, one arm by his side and the other above his head, still snoring like a train.

With another sigh Rachel pulled on the shorts she wore for sleeping, as well as a tank top in replacement of her bra. She slid under the covers next to Finn, curling up in the small space he hadn't taken up, turning her back to him.

Once upon a time his arms would envelope her as soon as she lay beside him, but not anymore. Back then it had been almost instinct, but now if they woke up in each other's arms it was purely accidental.

She reflected again on the past, trying to pinpoint exactly when things had gotten this bad, but she couldn't recall. They'd broken up after senior year, only to get back together shortly into her first year at NYADA. Finn had moved out to New York to live with her as she began her second year, and had worked several jobs to be able to afford the rent. He'd been exhausted each day, but he'd still had the energy to make an effort to spend time with her.

Now he co-owned a garage about fifteen minutes away from their apartment, and chose hours that had him up early in the mornings (the alarm woke her at eight each morning, but she fell asleep again as soon as he'd left), and got him back at around five thirty, which was exactly half an hour after she had to be at rehearsals.

She often wondered if he'd done it on purpose, so that he would have to see her for as little time as possible. It was an easy assumption to make, and it was one that haunted her regularly. He'd proposed in their last year of high school, and had again when they'd gotten back together, but they'd decided to postpone the wedding until they'd saved up enough money, or until she'd finished at NYADA.

Both of those instances had passed, and they barely ever talked about the wedding. Her fathers harassed her about it practically every week when they called, but she couldn't bear to tell them about their relationship troubles – that would make them seem far more real. She hadn't told a single soul that some days she wondered if Finn didn't want to be with her, if he was cheating on her. That some days she herself wondered if the only way she'd ever feel alive again was to end it with him, or to have sex with someone else.

But she never voiced them to Finn. Not that she had much opportunity – she had one day off from a show per week, and that was the only time saw him for more than a few minutes. She didn't know if she had the strength to do it, though.

How had she, Rachel Berry, managed to get everything she'd ever wanted – starring in a Broadway musical, on the verge of becoming the next stage star – and yet still feel so empty inside?

She glanced at the clock and cursed her mind – another half an hour had passed, and she was still awake. She closed her eyes and willed her brain to quiet down; it would only add to her troubles if she turned up to rehearsals tomorrow after only a handful of hours sleep. No matter what else was happening, she could not, would not, allow anything to affect her performance.

x-x-x

The alarm woke her up just a few hours later, right on schedule. She heard Finn groan and felt him roll over to shut it off, but she didn't move herself. The bed creaked as he stood, and she waited until she'd heard the bathroom door shut before rolling over so that she was in the centre of the bed – she liked her space in the mornings.

When Finn emerged from the bathroom ten minutes later with only a towel wrapped around his waist, she was still awake. His eyes flickered over to her absentmindedly and then away, straying back when he noticed that Rachel's were open.

"Rach? What are you doing awake? You usually go straight back to sleep."

"I had trouble sleeping."

"Oh," was all he said in reply, looking lost that his regular morning routine of not having to speak with Rachel interrupted. He turned his back to her to leaf through his closest to find his clothes for the day. "Well, you should try to get some more hours in. You don't look so good."

The offhand comment stung, and she felt tears spring to her eyes, immediately chastising herself for allowing it to get to her. It was early morning, after all, and she'd had barely four hours of sleep – no-one would look their best after that.

On impulse, she rose from the bed and padded over the where Finn stood, placing her hands on his shoulders gently. He jumped and spun around, frown on his face as he looked down at her.

"What are you doing?"

"I just…"

"Rach, I have to get to work, I don't have time to mess around," he said wearily, removing her hands from where they'd come to rest, on his chest. "Just go back to bed." He grabbed the jeans and t-shirt he was wearing for the day and disappeared into the bathroom, leaving her standing in-front of the open closest, stunned.

Never, ever, had Finn turned her away so readily. So easily. That stung even more than the jab at her appearance, and she felt a tear track across her cheek. She wiped it away hastily, retreating back to the bed and burying her face in the covers as she cried. She didn't even know why exactly it had affected her so much – it wasn't like it was a shock to discover that Finn wasn't as interested in her as he'd used to be. But that didn't really make it any easier.

When he emerged from the bathroom once more, a little while later, Rachel didn't raise her head form the covers, and he shut the bedroom door behind him without so much as a word of goodbye. Her tears dried, Rachel lay back against the pillows. She lent to the side of the bed to where Finn had abandoned his shirt from the day before and pressed it to her chest, wondering if this was the only way she'd be able to get close to him from now on.

Curling up onto her side she checked her phone to see that she had no messages, and double-checked her alarm was set before she curled up again in an attempt to get back to sleep. Usually she found it easier after Finn had left for work, but she wondered if today would be different after what had happened…

But apparently not, because her alarm woke her up several hours later, at noon. She sprang out of bed and headed straight for the shower, using the hot water to cleanse all memory of what had happened that morning – she'd rather be focused on the day ahead, rather than the past.

Her morning (well, technically afternoon), routine hadn't changed that much since high school. It still took her an extremely long time to get ready – after all, she was a star, and had to treat her body and skin as such.

She was finally finished in the bathroom an hour later, and traipsed to the kitchen to prepare a healthy lunch while she tried to relax. These few hours were her alone time, where she could chill out and not have to worry about anything else. Some days she practised her solos, others her dancing, and on others she simply went for a run.

Central Park was one of Rachel's favourite places to go in the city, but a quick glance at the clock told her that she didn't really have enough time to explore it the way she liked; so she regretfully settled in-front of the trashy afternoon television as she tucked into her salad.

She'd completely forgotten about the email she'd sent last night until an advert for a new make of laptop came on the TV, and she nearly dropped the glass she had in her hand at the time in her rush to log into her account.

She was notoriously bad for checking her emails, so she couldn't tell immediately whether she had a reply – but sure enough, when she clicked on her inbox, there was a message from one Quinn Fabray. It seemed to her to take an age from the message to load, but when it did she read the few lines of text eagerly.

_Well, I only wrote the truth – you deserved that review, Rach, you were amazing up there. And I only mocked you back then because I was jealous, I thought you knew that? Yeah, I've managed to do rather well for myself, I'm still have convinced they made a mistake when they hired me, but I'm not going to complain._

Rachel read the response a few times, pondering what to send back. While she'd hoped that Quinn would reply, she hadn't been counting on an email correspondence. One thing got her attention though, something he hadn't realised at first – Quinn had seen her show. She'd been in New York, in the audience, and Rachel hadn't noticed. That was just unacceptable.

The praise was also unexpected, but it was welcome after Finn's comments that morning. The fact that someone thought that about her, even if it was from someone who had used to give her hell, meant a lot – maybe it even meant more so, coming from someone like Quinn.

Hesitantly, she wrote her answer.

_Thank you, Quinn, it means a lot to me. And you were jealous? Of me? Why? So, does this mean you've lived in New York for all this time and I never knew about it?_

She hit send and went on a few other websites while she whittled down the time before she'd had to leave. She checked her account one before she logged off to go and get ready, on impulse, and was surprised to see that there was a reply there already.

_Well, it's true. You're spectacular, not that that's any surprise. You were always going to be a star; we all knew that, even back then. And yes, I was jealous – what shouldn't I have been jealous of? You were all about confidence in your own ability, you knew you were better than everyone else, and you weren't afraid to show it, or to work for it. And you were beautiful, in an effortless way. You didn't even need to try._

_And no, I've never, and still don't, live in New York. I live in LA, or at least I do for the next couple of weeks. I work for a magazine over here; the editor got me a shot with the NYT – that article was my test piece, to see if I was good enough. They hired me on the spot and published it straight away. They're moving me over there on the 14th to start working for them._

Rachel glanced hesitantly at the clock, noting that she should really start getting dressed if she wanted to be on time, but the email was too tempting. The first paragraph, in particular – she couldn't stop re-reading it. The words left a funny feeling in her chest, and brought a smile to her face – it was exactly what she needed after this morning. She wrote a hasty reply, one eye still on the time.

_It is a surprise, actually, especially coming from you._

_So, you'll be in New York soon? Do you need a tour of the city? I know where all the best places are, after all. ;)_

Rachel wanted desperately to inquire more about the other things Quinn had written – mainly about the jealously part, and of her finding her beautiful – but time wouldn't allow it. Besides, she wasn't sure if that would make their tentative correspondence awkward. She didn't want to give Quinn any reason to stop replying, like she'd eventually done during their freshman year of college. Rachel still didn't know what had happened, why things had fizzled out between them. She hadn't even thought about it for years, but thinking back, she'd been content in those few months where they'd been friends – even without Finn.

Perhaps that had been the reason for the abrupt end to their friendship, Rachel mused as she pulled on a pair of jeans and a thin purple t-shirt. Her trusty black boots came next, and she ran a brush through her hair before grabbing her bag and her coat as she left the apartment.

She'd gotten back together with Finn about a week before Quinn had stopped replying to her texts and phonecalls. Such a delay had happened a few times before, but as the days turned into weeks, Rachel had realized that she wasn't going to get an answer.

And that had been the end of that. Until now.

The October air was chilly, and she was glad for the warmth of her coat as she exited her apartment building, burying her hands in her pockets to ward off the cold. The streets were bustling, and she blended in perfectly with the other New Yorkers around her. She wondered how many others of them were like her, relatively unknown but on the cusp of stardom – she wondered how long it would be until she couldn't walk down the street without being recognised. She longed for those days, but not for the fame – just for the opportunities it would bring, the chance for her to have everything she'd ever wanted.

The theatre door was locked when she got there, but she slid out the key that they'd given everyone acting in the show, and pushed open the heavy door. Inside the sound of voices echoed, and Rachel locked the door behind her before stepping through into the interior.

Several of her castmates were already on the stage, running through a few of their numbers. She stood and watched for a few minutes until one of them noticed her standing to the side.

"Hey, Rach," Jake called, jumping down from the stage and pulling her into a hug. He was her co-star in Spring Awakening, playing the Melchior to her Wendla. He was the same age as her, twenty-three, with messy brown hair and bright blue eyes. "What are you doing after the show tonight?"

"Nothing, why?"

"Good, because you're coming to celebrate your New York Times review with us."

"How did you guys know about that?"

"How could we not?! It's huge!" She grinned at his enthusiasm, as a few other members of the cast came over to congratulate her. She'd almost forgotten about her earlier excitement about the review after her conversation with Quinn, but it all came rushing back the more they spoke about it.

The director of the show, Evan, finally called them all to order as they began their pre-show preparations – they did one whole run-through and then went over a few of the more difficult choreographed scenes before retiring to their dressing rooms to get their hair and make-up done ready for the show.

Rachel had brought her phone with her, and as she waited for her make-up artist to meet her in her dressing room she logged into her email, realizing that she was getting a little too obsessed with her correspondence with Quinn.

She was left disappointed though when there was no new message, and it must have shown on her face because when Jake popped his head into the room a few moments later he asked her what was wrong.

"Oh, nothing," Rachel replied, trying to force a smile. He narrowed his eyes at her but shrugged, coming into the room and perching on the dressing table in front of the chair where she sat.

"If you say so. Are you inviting Finn to drinks later?" Rachel bit her lip, still undecided about whether to or not. Then again, she doubted he'd accept the invitation, and if he did, well, then at least they were spending time together, right?

"Yeah, I will do. He might be busy though, he works so much these days."

"I noticed. I haven't seen him around here in a while." She could feel Jake's eyes on her, scrutinizing her for a reaction, perhaps assuming that Finn was the reason for her earlier expression or disappointment.

"Yeah, well… He's been busy."

"Are you guys okay? You just… seem a little upset lately. Not yourself. And you don't talk about Finn as much as you used to."

"We're fine," Rachel murmured, looking away from his intense gaze and instead fiddling with the engagement ring that sat on her left hand. It was the same one that Finn had proposed with back in high school, the tiny diamond catching the bright light in the room.

"Are you sure? Rach, you know you can talk to me, right?" She chanced a quick glance up at him, to see genuine concern on his face, and she wondered how she'd managed to make such a good friend – she rarely went out with her castmates, her only regular interaction being in the theatre itself. She was amazed that Jake had even managed to notice that anything was wrong. Finn certainly hadn't, and he'd known her for years rather than months.

"Yeah, we're fine. I'm fine." Lily, her make-up artist, walked in then, sparing Rachel from being questioned any more about her love life. Jake departed soon after to get himself ready, and Rachel relaxed into her chair, making idle conversation with Lily as she got her ready for the performance.

She typed a quick text to Finn after Lily had left to let her get ready for her pre-show warm-ups and to get changed, asking if he wanted to come with her tonight. He replied five minutes later, with a response that didn't surprise her:

No. Don't want to stay out late with being in work early.

And that was it. No apology, no have fun, no nothing. She turned her phone off with a huff, vowing to forget about Finn for the rest of the night.

The show that night was a huge success, as always. Rachel sung, acted and danced her heart out onstage, thriving on the reactions of the audience – this was what she lived for. The applause when they did their curtain call made her heart race in a way that nothing else could, and she took it all in, wishing the moment could last forever.

But alas, it couldn't, and it was over too quickly, as always, when the lights dimmed and they walked back off-stage, praising each other on their performances. Jake told her to get ready to go out, and she met him and several of their other castmates outside their dressing rooms ten minutes later.

She hadn't dressed for the occasion, not knowing that they'd be going anywhere afterwards, but she saw to her relief that she wasn't the only one wearing jeans. They left the theatre as a group, heading the nearest bar.

"First round's on you, Jake!" Called Sarah, who played one of the minor characters. Jake groaned but headed off to order a round as the rest of them headed towards the empty table at the back. It was busy inside, and a few curious glances were sent their way as they sat down.

"So, Rachel, what does it feel like to be in the NYT?"

"You guys realise that it's about the show, not me."

"Yeah but it's mainly about you."

"Rumour has it that you could be up for a Tony."

"How great would that be?"

And so the conversation went, but even though the focus was on her, Rachel wasn't feeling very talkative. Her issues with Finn were still bothering her, as was Quinn's lack of reply – and why that was on her mind she didn't even know.

So as it happened, she ended up drinking quite a lot that night.

Jake had apparently taken it upon himself to get her to drink as much as possible, and the others only encouraged him. Maybe he was just determined to see her completely trashed, or maybe he was just trying to help her forget about what was troubling her, but by her fourth shot of tequila Rachel wasn't really concerned about his motives.

"Hey, you're Rachel Berry, right?" She turned at the sound of her name, stumbling slightly, her head starting to feel fuzzy, she see a guy stood behind her, gorgeous smile on his face as he regarded her. She absently wondered how long it had been since Finn had looked at her like that, like she was actually worth something, and she took a step closer to him.

"Yeah I am, who are you?"

"Tyler Abraham." He held out his hand and she shook it, the name tickling a memory in the back of her mind.

"You're that guy," she managed, and he grinned in amusement, the expression making his green eyes sparkle.

"That guy?"

"From… the TV. You're in that new TV show. The one about the kids with the singing. But how do you know who I am?"

"I'm a big fan of Broadway."

"You are?"

"Yeah. And I'm also a big fan of yours, after your show tonight. Can I uh… Can I buy you a drink?"


	2. Chapter 2

A rough hand woke her, ripping her out of the peaceful dream she'd been having and into a world of pain as she opened her eyes, the bright light sneaking into her bedroom from under the blinds causing pain to lance through her skull.

"Rachel! Do you care to explain this?" Finn threw something down next to her on the bed, and she took one glance at his furious expression before bracing herself to look at whatever he wanted her to see.

It was a magazine, and inside it were pictures of her, from the previous night. Memories started to come back to her, of dark bars and shots of tequila and doing some pretty dirty dancing with random guys… One of whom was also in the pictures with her.

"Oh, crap," Rachel murmured, bringing the magazine closer to her face to scrutinize it more closely – they showed her and the guy, Tyler (she only remembered his name after seeing it written in the article beside the photos), getting a little too close for comfort. There were none of them kissing or anything, but they were stood close together, and in one picture Tyler's hand was awfully close to her ass.

"That's not an explanation." Finn stood beside the bed, arms crossed tightly across his chest, glaring down at her. He looked furious, and she couldn't really blame him – the photos were pretty incriminating. But at least she'd gotten him to finally notice her.

"Nothing happened," Rachel murmured, looking away from his gaze and trying to remember what had occurred last night. She didn't remember how she'd gotten home, but she was pretty sure that she hadn't done anything with Tyler. She was sure that Jake would've stopped that – and Jake was probably the only reason she'd managed to make it home last night.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes Finn, I'm sure." He didn't look convinced, and he was still frowning when he glanced at the clock beside their bed.

"And now I'm going to be late. Great. Thanks a lot, Rach."

"You were the one who woke me up!" Raising her voice made her head pound even more than it already was, but she couldn't help it. All the things she'd left unsaid were bubbling to the surface, angering her, and it seemed as though she could no longer keep them inside.

"And you were the one who went out and got pissed last night and was all over another guy!"

"Is it my fault that you don't give me any attention?!"

"Is that why you did this? To get my attention? Well, well fucking done, Rach. You did it. Congratulations." Without another word he turned and strode from the room, slamming the door behind him and making a Rachel-Berry worthy exit.

For the second time in two days, Rachel was left fighting back tears as he left, and she squeezed her eyes shut in an effort to keep them at bay.

She lay back and tried to fall asleep again, but it wouldn't come. With a groan, she dragged the duvet off the bed and went and curled up under it on the couch, watching the trashy morning television after taking some painkillers for her pounding head.

She must have dozed off, because her ringtone woke her up, and she reached groggily for where she'd left it on the coffee table, not looking at the caller ID before she answered.

"Want to explain the photos, Rach?" It was her agent, Todd, but he didn't sound as irate as she'd expected after Finn's reaction. Todd was the reason she had landed the role in Spring Awakening – he'd seen her in one of her first performances of a much smaller-scale musical a few months earlier, and had signed her on the spot. It was only under his urging that she'd even auditioned – not that she would have probably even known about them without him. Todd was very easy-going, but also driven, both of which were qualities that she appreciated.

"I would if I could," she replied, deciding that now was as good a time as ever to force herself to move and get a drink. She needed to stay hydrated if she wanted to feel up to performing tonight.

"Okay, well, I can't really do any damage control, but to be honest they aren't even that bad. Nothing too incriminating."

"That's not how Finn sees it," Rachel muttered darkly as she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge (tap water simply wouldn't do), and took it back into the sitting room with her.

"Yeah, well, he's your fiancé; wouldn't it be worse if he didn't care?"

"I suppose." She mulled it over – maybe it was better that he'd had such a reaction. Maybe that meant that he wasn't ready to give up on her, that he still felt something for her. Maybe this was actually a good thing.

"Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I knew, and not to worry. Just try not to make it a regular occurrence, yeah?"

"Of course."

"Alright. In brighter news, after your NYT review, people won't stop harassing me about Rachel Berry's next move is."

"Seriously? But I've got two months left on Spring Awakening."

"People move quickly in this business, Rach. I've already had a few calls wanting you to audition for new roles, but I didn't want to confirm any interest until I'd spoken to you. Can we meet up soon, talk about it?"

"Yeah, sure. How about tomorrow morning?"

"I can't actually do the next couple of days, I'm going to visit my parents back in Chicago, but how about the weekend? Saturday morning, breakfast? I'll buy?"

"Well, when you put it like that…"

"I'll see you then," he laughed, hanging up. Talking to Todd had left Rachel feeling marginally better, but she knew she'd be better off if she wasn't moping in the apartment all day. She scrolled through her phonebook as she booted up her laptop (she'd almost forgotten about Quinn's lack of reply yesterday), and found Kurt's name, pressing the call button and hoping that she wouldn't wake him up.

"You're lucky I'm an early riser, Rach," came the reply when he answered on the fourth ring, and she smiled at the sound of his voice, realising she'd missed him a lot recently – he'd been home visiting his dad for two weeks, and since he'd gotten back five days ago he'd been in almost non-stop rehearsals for his role in the latest version of Wicked.

"Sorry," she murmured, waiting impatiently for her email to load. "I just needed to talk to someone."

"Hey, what's up?"

"Would everything be a too dramatic answer?"

"Rach, is everything alright?"

"Not really. Could we meet up today? Maybe for lunch?"

"Sure. We can go to that vegan deli you like, halfway between our apartments? I'll meet you there at twelve."

"Okay, see you then." Rachel was still unsure of when, and how, she and Kurt had become such good friends. She was glad she had him, though – she didn't have many friends, really. Not that she ever had, but lately she'd been feeling… alone. Isolated. Which was a little absurd considering most of her day was around other people.

To her delight, Quinn had eventually replied – and that cheered her up slightly, especially when she read the final few words.

_It shouldn't be a surprise, honestly. _

_And yes, I will be in NYC soon. I'm coming at the weekend, actually – they want to woo me a bit more, I think. Show me the apartment they've secured for me, etcetera, etcetera._

_A Rachel Berry tour of the City That Never Sleeps? Well, how can I refuse an offer like that? I do, however, have a proposition for you – apparently they assume I have a great love of Broadway shows, so they've given me free tickets to see on when I'm in the city. Would you like to come with me? _

A free Broadway show? That was her heaven. She wondered which one it was, but decided that she'd wait and be surprised. She wondered whether it would be odd, being alone with Quinn, seeing her for the first time in almost five years. But the invitation was too good to turn down.

_They offered you an apartment? Wow, you must have really impressed them, I'm happy for you. _

_And you can't refuse, that's exactly why I offered it. And you had me at free tickets; of course I'll come with you. Just let me know when and where I need to meet you. _

Rachel hit send and glanced at the clock, noting that she had two hours before she had to meet Kurt, and decided that a long bath was in order to make the time pass quicker. She even lit candles, and slid under the hot water with a grateful sigh, a book cradled in her hands.

She emerged an hour later, and by the time she'd gotten her hair under control and had dressed, it was time for her to leave. She pulled on a coat and remembered a pair of gloves, setting off to the deli, which was barely a ten minute walk.

Kurt was already there when she arrived, leaning against a streetlight outside, and she pulled him into a hug when she reached him.

"Have you missed me?" He asked, grinning as she stepped back, holding the door open for her to pass through.

"Yes, I did. Does this mean you didn't miss me? Kurt Hummel, I'm appalled."

"Nah, I did miss you. Lima's boring without you there." They ordered their food before claiming a booth, sliding into opposite sides.

"Did you see anyone from high school when you were there?"

"No, I didn't. I don't even know what most of them are up to nowadays – why do you ask?"

"Well…" She told him about Quinn, about their email correspondence but not that they were meeting up at the weekend – that was something that she felt like keeping to herself for a little while.

"Wow, that's interesting. She's done well for herself, then," he said when she'd finished the story, and she nodded in agreement. "I only know that Blaine's still performing in London's West End, and that Mercedes has just signed a deal for a record label, but that's about it."

"You and Blaine still not talking?"

"No." He didn't elaborate, and Rachel let it drop. They'd stayed together for almost four years – Blaine had moved up to New York after he'd finished high school, but he hadn't wanted to go to college. He'd gotten minor roles in some small-scale musicals, but he'd been scouted almost a year ago by someone who'd just written a musical and wanted Blaine for the main role – but he also wanted to start off its production in his home town of London.

Blaine had left with Kurt's urging – that had been eighteen months ago. They'd stayed together for six months but the distance, and the fact that Blaine said he wanted to stay in London for longer because there were more opportunities there, had eventually been too much and they'd broken up.

"What did you want to talk about then, Rach? You sounded pretty upset this morning." She was saved having to answer immediately as their food arrived, and she started on her vegan sandwich while she thought about her answer.

She'd decided that morning in the bath (that was her thinking time), that it might be better to talk about someone about her problems with Finn. Maybe some outsider perspective would help her with how to fix the issues that lay between them. And how better to talk to than her best friend, who also happened to be Finn's step-brother?

"It's Finn," she said eventually, keeping her eyes trained on the table in-front of her rather than on Kurt's face.

"Okay, what about Finn?"

"We're… We're having some trouble. I feel like he doesn't care about us anymore. He barely even looks at me, we don't spend any time together – it's almost like he does everything he can to avoid being alone with me."

"But you guys live together, how can he avoid you so much?"

"He's asleep when I get home."

"Doesn't your show finish at like, half nine?"

"I… I say behind until at least eleven most nights."

"Why?"

"Because I can't stand going home for my fiancé to take one look at me as I walk through the door and then announce that he's going to bed. I can't even remember the last time he kissed me, or said he loved me." She finally chanced a look upwards, to see Kurt looking at her with concern.

"Rach… I'm sorry. He sounds like he's being a jerk."

"It's not all his fault. I've been doing as much as I can to avoid him, too. I just… I don't know how to stop it. To reconnect. I don't want to give up on us after we've been together for so long, but… I can't stay in a relationship when my fiancé acts like he's nothing more than my roommate."

"Have you talked to him about this?"

"When would I have the chance? Like I said, he's asleep when I get home, he gets up early and then he's gone all day – I've left by the time he gets in."

"What about your day off?"

"On Mondays he goes out with his friends from work."

"Tell him that he's not doing that this Monday? Although this looks like it's been bothering you for a while, so maybe you should do it sooner rather than later. Why don't you leave your show on time tonight and catch him before he goes to bed?"

"And say what?"

"Everything that you've just told me. That you miss him, that you want to reconnect, don't want to give up, want to keep trying to be together, but you need his help."

"If your Broadway career doesn't work out you should become a professional agony aunt," Rachel murmured after a few seconds of silence, and Kurt laughed. The tension evaporated, and Rachel felt a lot better for having gotten it all out – and, she vowed, she would talk to Finn tonight. It was sure to be a dreadful conversation, but it would be better to get it all out in the open sooner rather than later.

After their lunch, Rachel and Kurt ended up going for a stroll in Central Park, and then for an early dinner – they both headed off to their theatres straight after. Rachel was early, and only a handful of people were there before her. Not really up for conversation, she headed straight to her dressing room, and curled up on her chair, trying to hash out what she needed to say to Finn later.

She must have been there a while, because the next thing she was aware of was the director sticking his head through the door and asking if she was alright and ready for rehearsal.

The rest of the night passed in a blur, and before she knew it, it was time for her to go home. She wondered idly what Finn would think of her coming home early, or if he would even care. The walk seemed longer than usual, somehow, but she was stood outside their apartment door all too soon.

But there was no-one inside.

Frowning, she stood in the doorway, taking in the sight of the bottle of wine on the small coffee table, two glasses beside it. Of the food cooking in the oven, with two sets of plates and cutlery laid out on the kitchen counter.

Of the scarf tossed carelessly across the back of the sofa – unmistakably a woman's.

With a feeling of dread, Rachel shut the door quietly behind her and strode forward, picking up the scarf and striding towards the shut bedroom door. She paused outside, hoping against hope that it, too, was empty – but then she heard a giggle, and a low voice that beyond a doubt belonged to Finn.

Fuming, she flung the door open so hard that it rebounded of the wall with a crack, clutching the scarf in her hand so hard that her arm shook. Finn leapt off the bed as soon as he saw her, shirtless, and the blonde woman in the bed yanked the covers up to her chest, blue eyes wide as they regarded her with slight fear.

_Good,_ Rachel though absently.

"You… you're not supposed to be home for another two hours," muttered Finn, and another ripple of anger passed through Rachel as all she heard was accusation – that this was her fault for coming home early. He seemed to realised he'd done wrong as he met her gaze, and quickly backtracked. "I mean, I'm so- "

"How dare you," she started, voice barely louder than a whisper. "How dare you react the way you did to those photographs this morning when you've been fucking someone else the whole time!" Her voice rose in pitch with each word, and she forced herself to calm down. She would not let herself lose it in-front of him and this woman. She wouldn't allow it.

"And you," Rachel continued, turning her gaze to the blonde, who hastily looked away from her piercing brown eyes. "How long have you been fucking my fiancé?" The woman didn't answer, only shrank back against the covers, and Rachel took a step closer. "I asked you a question. How long?"

"Rach, is that really going to - " Finn started, but she cut him off with a glare.

"Don't you dare talk to me. Unless you have an answer."

"Two months," he sighed, and Rachel flinched, feeling winded. How could she have not realised? How could she have not noticed that he was sleeping with someone else, in their bed? "But…"

"But?"

"Before her there was… There was someone else." Rachel froze, rendered speechless for the first time in she didn't know how long, barely able to process what he'd said. Without another word, afraid that she would break down in-front of the pair of them, she turned on her heel and strode out the door, fighting tears the whole way.

She heard Finn behind her, but she slammed the door in his face, hearing a muttered curse and a bang. She hoped it had hurt him, but she doubted it would hurt as much as the pain in her chest.

Unable to stop the tears now, she let them run freely as she took the stairs down the bottom floor, all eight flights of them, and she called a number on her phone as soon as she was in the chill New York air.

"Hello?" Kurt answered again on the fourth ring, but she was unable to form words. "Rach? What's… What's wrong?"

"I…" She choked, and wiped hastily at her eyes with the back of her hand as she spotted people on the other side of the street starting to eye her curiously. "Can I please stay with you tonight?" It was little more than a whisper – that was all she could manage – but he seemed to understand.

He asked if she needed him to come and get her but she refused, hoping that on the short walk to his apartment that she could clear her head. She hung up and dropped the phone into her pocket, realising belatedly that she should have brought some clothes with her, but it was too late now.

She couldn't go back there.

Turning, she began the walk, and realised after she'd taken a few steps that she still held the woman's scarf in her hand, wrapped tightly around her fist. The sight of it made her want to cry fresh tears, but she clenched her jaw and opened her fingers, letting the scarf go. It caught in the breeze, and she watched it blow away, wondering how and when her life had managed to get to such a point.

x-x-x

"Breakfast's ready!" Kurt's voice was what woke her the next morning. The previous night was blurry – she barely remembered getting to his apartment, and had no idea how she'd ended up asleep in his huge double-sized bed. A quick glance at the clock told her that it was one in the afternoon – hardly when she was used to eating breakfast.

"At this time?" She replied with a raised eyebrow when he poked his head around the door, a tray in his hands. "Kurt, you didn't have to do that. And I'm sorry for coming her in such a state last night."

"Don't be stupid, Rach. You can come over whenever you want, you know that. Now, sit up and eat." They spent the next few hours curled up in his bed, watching TV and actively trying to avoid the topic of Finn.

But that couldn't really last.

"Do you know where you're going to stay tonight?" Kurt tentatively asked after the pair had fallen into a comfortable silence. Rachel sighed, fingers playing nervously with the bed covers as she thought.

"I don't know. I don't… I don't think I can go back there yet. I don't want to see him."

"Okay, then. Give me your key – I'll go grab some of your clothes while you get ready."

"But - "

"No arguing! You took care of me when Blaine and I broke up, let me return the favour." She flinched at the word 'break up' – she didn't know if that's what she truly wanted, though the betrayal she felt was so suffocatingly strong that she didn't she how she could ever forgive Finn for what he'd done, didn't see how she could trust him ever again.

Kurt left shortly after, leaving her fully alone with her thoughts. She hopped in the shower, hoping the scalding water would wash her memories away. Closing her eyes, she laid her head against the cold tiles of the bathroom wall, willing her mind not to stray towards the thoughts of her fiancé with his hands all over another woman.

Her eyes welled with tears, but she clenched her jaw, refusing to cry again. This wasn't her fault. Finn was the one who'd been distant, not her – or was his distance caused by something she'd done?

With a sigh, deciding that thinking about what had gone wrong wasn't going to help, she shut of the water and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her waist and her hair, settling into the comforting routine that he went through every day before she left for her show.

It was a little more difficult than usual, seeing as Kurt hadn't yet reappeared, but she managed, just about. He returned shortly after, with a suitcase filled with everything that she needed that he didn't already have, as well as her laptop and her favourite clothes.

"You're the best," she murmured, throwing her arms around him in a hug. "Was he there?" The words were barely a whisper, breathed against his chest, and when she felt him shake his head she didn't know what she was supposed to feel.

They went their separate ways shortly thereafter, and she walked the remaining few short blocks to the theatre quickly, as if she could run away from her problems. The rest of the day, and the evening, even the show, was a blur. She headed back to Kurt's as quickly as she could, desperate to escape the chipper attitudes of her castmates, unable to bear it. After being on stage and showing so much emotion, she felt raw, exposed. It was relief when the door to Kurt's place shut behind her.

She welcomed the silence, her ears still ringing slightly from the loudness of the show. She curled up on the couch, knowing that Kurt wouldn't be back for a little while – they were doing the full run-through of Wicked in preparation for when the show opening in two weeks, and it was half an hour longer than Spring Awakening.

She loaded up her laptop, feeling slightly guilty about the fact that she hadn't yet checked to see whether Quinn had replied. She'd been keeping her phone off, only checking it every few hours in-case anyone important had called, so hadn't checked her email through that.

Sure enough, there was a short email from her:

_Yep, and I guess I'll see how much I impressed them when I see it. You never know, it might be some crappy one bedroom in the dodgy part of the city knowing my luck! But thanks._

_Haha, okay – my flight gets in at two in the afternoon, but I can meet you somewhere later on for the show? I'm sure you have better things to do than spend the whole day with me. Here's my number, just let me know where's easiest to meet – and some directions will probably be necessary, too. _

She'd left her number at the end, and Rachel switched on her phone impatiently, quickly adding the new contact as her phone buzzed with the messages she'd gotten since the last time she'd checked had it switched on.

Three texts and four calls were from Finn. She didn't listen to the voicemails he'd left her, but she did glance over the texts.

_I'm sorry. Please come back so that we can talk._

_Rach, please. I'm worried about you. Half your stuff's gone, are you coming back? _

_Just let me know that you're okay. _

With a sigh, she deleted them, and then bit her lip. Should she reply? She wasn't going to meet up with him any time soon, she knew that, but should she tell him? She decided that one text wouldn't hurt.

_I'm staying with a friend._ (There was no need to tell him who – she didn't want to turn up at Kurt's door demanding to talk to her_). Of course I'm not okay, Finn. I don't want to talk to talk to you, so stop texting and calling. _

She hit reply and then scanned through the handful of other messages she had. One was from Kurt, letting her know that he wouldn't be home until late so she shouldn't wait up. One was from her dad's reminding her to call them whenever she was free tomorrow – they sent her the same message every Thursday, as if she'd forget now that she was in a Broadway musical.

The final one was from her agent, double-checking that they were still meeting up for breakfast on Saturday, and she flushed, having forgotten – Rachel Berry never forgot plans – and sent a quick reply confirming where they'd meet and what time.

The final thing she did before she headed to bed was open a new message to the newest addition to her phonebook, and write out a quick message.

_Nonsense, I'd love to spend the whole day with you and catch up. I'll meet you at the airport at two o' clock sharp. I'll see you then. _

She signed her name at the end, though she figured it wasn't really necessary, before shutting off her laptop and switching off her phone, heading for the guest bedroom and falling asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, suddenly exhausted.


	3. Chapter 3

Quinn Fabray groaned as her chair was kicked for the umpteenth time by the unruly toddler that sat behind her. She hated flying – and this wasn't helping. She turned her iPod on louder, hoping it would drown out the sound of the gossiping women sat beside her, and stared out of the aeroplane's window, watching the tiny houses and cars below.

It was a five hour flight, and she'd hated every second of it. But there was only a few minutes left before they started the slow descent into New York, if she remembered correctly. She thought back to her previous trip, a fond smile crossing her lips.

She'd debated for days over whether she should tell Rachel that she was coming to New York, to see her show, but couldn't bring herself to do it. Especially after the way she'd let her correspondence with the brunette filter out while they'd been in college.

But she hadn't been able to help it. Finding out that the diva was re-engaged to Finn Hudson… Well, it hadn't sat well with the blonde. She'd been furious – furious, and heartbroken.

Not that Rachel knew about any of that.

_Ladies and gentlemen, please return to your seats, we will be beginning our descent shortly. _

The announcement snapped Quinn out of her thoughts, and she reluctantly pulled her headphones form her ears, switching the device off and showing it into the pockets of her black jeans.

She lent more fully against the window, watching as the skyscrapers of the city came into view, becoming more defined as the minutes ticked away. She found herself becoming increasingly nervous as the plane neared the runway – the thought of talking to Rachel again after almost five years was terrifying.

The brunette had rarely been far from her thoughts, but that wasn't the same as seeing her in the flesh. Seeing her last time had been easy, because Rachel hadn't known that she was there. She could admire her freely, without the fear that the diva would grow uncomfortable.

Quinn couldn't exactly pinpoint exactly when she'd managed to fall in love with Rachel Berry, but she knew it had been a long time ago. Perhaps from the very first time she laid eyes on her, all those years before.

Certainly, her treatment of the brunette in high school had been because of the way she felt – not that she had been able to admit it to herself back then. It was only towards the end of high school, and then in college, when she was away from the tiny town of Lima, away from her parents and people that would judge her, that she truly became herself.

She'd accepted, long ago, that nothing would ever happen between the two of them – it hadn't been easy to come to terms with, but the brunette getting back together with Finn had certainly cemented the fact. And she hadn't been able to bring herself to keep up the friendship they'd struck up going, thinking how unbearable it would be to hear her talk about how wonderful Finn was.

Getting over her hadn't been easy, and she still thought, sometimes, in the dead of those nights where she couldn't sleep, when her thoughts overtook her mind, that she wasn't entirely over the brunette. Sometimes she woke in the middle of the night from a dream of dark hair and brown eyes, a pang of loss in her chest.

The plane touched down, and soon enough she was on her way into the airport, shuffling along behind the rest of the queue as she wound her way towards the baggage claim. She could have probably fitted everything she needed for the weekend in a carry-on bag, but Quinn Fabray wasn't known to be a light packer.

All too soon, she had her bag and was heading towards the exit, where her past awaited, most probably with open arms and a warm smile. Her heart racing more than she cared to admit, Quinn walked slowly forward, scanning the people milling around quickly, looking for the tiny brunette that had come to welcome her.

"Quinn!" She heard the shout and turned to her left, genuine smile on her face as she stepped forward, stiffening slightly in surprise when Rachel threw her arms around the blonde. She hugged her back awkwardly, one hand still clutching her suitcase.

When Rachel released her she allowed herself the chance to take the brunette in. She was wearing dark blue jeans that hugged curves perfectly, and a tight black turtleneck under a light grey coat that lay open.

"You know, Rach, you didn't have to meet me here," she said as the pair began navigating towards the doors that led out into the crisp afternoon air.

"Of course I did! I couldn't leave you wandering around New York lost, could I?"

"I'm sure the paper would have sent someone to meet me."

"Yes, but I'm sure that I'm much better company than them." The brunette claimed a cab just ahead of a middle-aged woman, who glared at her and Quinn before turning away with a huff. The pair slid inside, the smell of leather and cigarettes invading Quinn's senses. "What hotel are you staying at?"

"Uhhh," she fished out the email she'd been sent from her purse, wanting to double-check. "Crowne Plaza." The taxi took off as soon as she'd finished speaking, and Quinn braced herself with one hand on the door to stop herself from moving around too much with the cars jerky movements.

"That's not far from me! Where's your apartment?" Quinn decided that handing Rachel the email was probably a better idea, and the brunette scanned it eagerly. "Oh! This is like, five blocks from me!"

The excitement in Rachel's voice was contagious, and she found herself smiling to herself as the diva babbled on about how awesome it would be to live so close together. Quinn wondered absently whether it would be such a good thing for her – but she couldn't mention that to the brunette when she looked so pleased.

She also wondered at how it was so easy to slip back into simple conversation. It was hard to believe that they hadn't spoken in so long, and she was curious if Rachel was thinking the same thing.

They arrived at the hotel soon after, and the brunette tagged along as Quinn checked in and shoved her bags into her room. "Would you mind if I jumped in the shower for just a few minutes? I always feel disgusting after I've been on a plane."

"Yeah, Quinn, that's fine. I'll just see what's on the TV."

"I won't be long!" The blonde called before she closed the bathroom door behind her with one last glance at the brunette, who was sprawled on her hotel bed. She had a feeling that this could turn into a torturous weekend.

x-x-x

The ringing of a phone that definitely wasn't her own startled Rachel so much that she jumped, almost toppling off the bed. Quinn had been in the bathroom for only a few minutes, but she found herself growing impatient, wanting more of the blonde's company.

She glanced at the offending phone, still ringing, figuring she should probably let Quinn know in-case it was important. A quick glance at the caller ID as she climbed off the bed and made her way to the bathroom showed that it was Puck calling.

_That's interesting,_ she thought absently as she knocked on the door. _Maybe they're together again. _For some reason, the thought bothered her, though she couldn't say why. It made sense – they'd both been in LA together, after all.

"What's up?" Called Quinn's voice through the bathroom door in response to Rachel's knock.

"You have a phonecall."

"Who?"

"Puck."

"Oh. Uh, leave it, I'll call him back in a sec." Rachel dropped back onto the bed, and the blonde emerged in a cloud of steam a second later, clad in the same dark jeans and grey t-shirt she'd had on before. Rachel tossed her the phone, and the blonde smiled her thanks.

"Hey," she muttered into the phone, running a hand absently through her hair as she went to stand beside the window, admiring the view as she listened to what Puck had to say. Rachel watched her curiously; saw her face change from mildly interested to downright furious in the space of a few seconds.

"Of course I care, you idiot! Don't you dare. Or when I get back to LA I will kill you. Actually, no – I'll get Santana to kill you now, and then when I come back I'll kill you again just to make sure."

Rachel watched Quinn's eyebrows knit together in a frown at whatever Puck was saying, and couldn't help but think it was a cute quirk to have. "For fucks sake, Puck. No. If you give a shit about me, then leave her alone. I don't want to see the two of you together, alright? Yes, really. Why would I lie? Just leave her alone, please. For me? Thank you. Okay, I'll talk to you when I get back. Yeah, bye."

Rachel wanted desperately to know what Puck had been saying on the other end of the phone – it was endlessly frustrating to only know one half of the conversation. Especially one that had Quinn looked so pissed off.

"You okay?" She asked, hoping that maybe that would get Quinn to enlighten her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just Puck, you know?"

"Mm-hmm." But the brunette didn't know. Did this mean that the two of them were together? Or had been, and Puck had let her for someone else? And now she didn't want to see him with another woman? That was what it sounded like to her, but she wasn't sure.

She also still didn't know why it was bothering her so much.

"So, what do you want to do today?"

"Me? You're the one who should pick, seeing as you're only here for a limited time. What show do you want to see?"

"Well…"

"What?"

"Well, if we both went together then we'd have to go to an early showing, right?"

"Yeah…"

"But I was thinking… why don't I just go to see your show again? Then you can show me around, I can get to see what it's like to be a big Broadway star."

"But… You've already seen my show."

"So?"

"Won't you be bored?"

"I could never be bored watching you perform." The blonde's words shone with sincerity, her eyes earnest, and it rendered Rachel momentarily speechless. After a few seconds of silence, the blonde flushed, quickly backtracking. "I'm sorry, I - "

"No, no, don't apologise. I was just surprised, is all."

"Surprised? Why?"

"No-one's ever said something like that to me for a while." Rachel's eyes strayed away from Quinn's, and the blonde came and sat beside her on the bed.

"Well it's true. You should be told that every day." Their eyes met again, and Rachel found that hers filled alarmingly quickly with tears. "Rach, what's wrong?" There was a note of alarm in the blonde's voice, and when Rachel didn't answer she simply wrapped her arms around the smaller girl's body, hugging her gently.

They sat like that for a while, with Rachel struggling not to cry, Quinn just holding her gently. She was the first to break the silence, though thankfully she never asked what was wrong. Rachel wasn't ready to explain yet. "Do you want to go get some food? What time do you need to head to the theatre?"

"About five."

"Okay, then, how about we get food now, and then go for more after the show? You must get hungry after being so active on stage."

"Sometimes," the brunette admitted, and the pair were leaving the hotel room shortly afterwards, once Rachel had dried her eyes and sorted out her make-up. Quinn insisted that she choose where they ate, and they ended up in a tiny vegan café that was hidden down a side-street.

The conversation flowed easily between them – it was pretty easy to find topics to fill the time when there were over four years to catch up on. Rachel learnt that Quinn had moved to LA immediately after finishing at Yale, moving in with Puck.

"But that didn't last long," Quinn muttered around the salad she'd ordered. "So then I lived with Mercedes for a little while, until I could afford to rent a place of my own."

"What went wrong with Puck?" Rachel asked, trying to keep her voice nonchalant, even though she was still intensely curious about the blonde's relationship with their ex-classmate.

"Do you seriously need to ask that? He had a different girl traipsing through the apartment every other night, it drove me insane. Not the mention the lack of sleep. What?" The blonde asked, arching an eyebrow at the brunette's curious look. Quinn could tell there was something Rachel wanted to ask her.

"I just thought… from your conversation on the phone and then you saying that you lived together… that you might have gotten back together after college." Quinn, having just taken a gulp of water, nearly choked at the other girl's words. Once she'd stopped coughing, she had to struggle not to laugh – her and Puck? Again? She hadn't heard something so funny for a while.

"What? Rachel asked indignantly, but the blonde just grinned.

"Seriously? No, Rach. No."

"But that's what it sounded like on the phone…"

"Do you really want to know what that conversation was about?" The brunette nodded, and Quinn took a deep breath, steeling herself for the varied reactions that Rachel could have to what she was about to say. "Puck wanted to know if I'd mind if he asked out my ex."

She let that sink in, watch Rachel's eyebrows knit together in confusion, waited for the penny to drop. But apparently she needed more help getting there. "…What? But I don't get it. Puck wants to ask out your ex? But that doesn't make sense unless…"

"Unless?"

"One of you was…"

"Gay?"

"Well, yeah." Quinn just sighed slightly in exasperation, eyeing the brunette meaningfully across the table. "Oh! Oh. You? Really? But…"

"But what? I don't seem the type?" Quinn teased, laughing at the flush that crept across the brunette's face. "You can say yes, you know. I know it certainly didn't seem that way in high school."

"When did you know?"

"I guess I always knew, deep down. But it took me getting to Yale to realise it. Being away from my parents helped, I think."

"Do they know?"

"Yep, I told them after I graduated. It's why I went to LA. They disowned me and told me they never wanted to see me again. I'd already made plans to go live with Puck if they reacted that way, but I always hoped that they wouldn't. I haven't been back to Lima since."

"I'm sorry," the brunette murmured, not knowing what else to say.

"It's not your fault."

"I know, but it seemed like the right thing to say."

"To be honest, I'm probably better off without them. I struck it lucky in LA, getting into the magazine that I did, and even luckier when they told me to try out for this job."

"You deserve it, after all you've been through."

"And you deserve to be where you are." They fell into a comfortable silence after that, both finishing up what was left of their respective meals. When they were done, Quinn asked the question that she had been burning to ask ever since she'd seen the ring around Rachel's finger. "So… You and Finn are still together, then?"

Rachel's head shot up, realising that she'd been playing absently with her engagement ring on her finger, as she often did. It was comforting, to feel it there, to twist it between her fingers when she wasn't doing something else to keep her occupied. Quinn's eyes were expectant, waiting for an answer.

"Sort of," she murmured eventually, her voice sounding pained, even to her own ears. Quinn's eyes filled with immediate concern, and her hand snaked across the table to lay across the back of the brunette's. The touch warmed her skin, made her feel slightly better even though her chest felt heavy.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't pry."

"No, no, I've been asked you so many questions, it's only right that you do the same. Come on, let's go for a walk and I'll tell you all about it." They split the bill and left the café, walking the short distance to Central Park.

Rachel traced the path she so often did, Quinn trailing along at her side. They chose a bench, slightly hidden behind a scattering of trees, and settled onto it, watching the passers-by. Rachel told Quinn everything; all about the troubles she and Finn had been having lately, how it hadn't always been that way. She finished with the story of what she'd walked in on just a few nights ago, watching the blonde's face darken with her every word.

"Finn's a dickhead," she muttered when Rachel had finished the tale, and the brunette laughed.

"I suppose he is."

"Do you know what you're going to do?"

"Nope. I've been staying with Kurt, I can't go back there. I don't know whether I want to work on it, I don't know whether it's worth it. But then I think what a waste it would be to throw away almost eight years of relationship without trying to work it out, but then I don't know if I can forgive him and I - "

"Rach, take a breath."

"Sorry," the brunette murmured, a flush creeping across her cheeks. "It's just a relief to get everything off my chest, to tell someone who doesn't really know much about it, get some outside perspective, you know?"

"Yeah." The blonde was staring into the distance with an unreadable expression on her face, obviously thinking hard about something.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course."

"What do you think I should do?" Rachel's voice was tentative, wondering if she pushing the newly re-established friendship they'd struck up too far too soon. Finn was, after all, an ex of the blonde, and the reason for quite a few arguments between the pair of them during high school.

"I… You should do whatever feels right to you."

"That doesn't answer my question." Quinn sighed, still looking into the distance, and Rachel wished that she could read the blonde's mood. She was usually quite good at reading people, but Quinn had always been, and still remained, a mystery to her.

"You should do whatever makes you happy."

"I sense that there's a but coming."

"_But_, from what you've just told me, it doesn't sound like you've been happy with Finn for a long time. And you deserve better than that."

"Do I? Maybe I pushed him away. I'm always at work."

"So is he, according to you. And if he tries to stand in the way of you and your career, then he's even more of an idiot than I thought. And you need to stop blaming yourself for what happened. You didn't force him to cheat on you."

"I guess you're right."

"Of course I am."

They moved onto lighter topics after that, as they wound their way around a tiny part of the Park. It wasn't long before Rachel had to be at rehearsal, and she again questioned whether Quinn was sure that was how she wanted to spend her evening.

"I wouldn't have suggested unless I wanted to, okay? Trust me on this. Are you even allowed to bring people randomly?" The blonde bit her lip, looking slightly worried, but Rachel just rolled her eyes.

"Please Quinn, I can get them to do whatever I want, within reason. I'm the star, after all." She winked before unlocked the door to the theatre, and the blonde laughed. She was slightly later than she usually was, only by a few minutes, but it meant that most people were already there.

Jake bounded over as soon as he realised that Rachel wasn't alone, eyeing the blonde with a slightly wide-eyed expression – not that Rachel blamed him. Quinn was gorgeous, after all.

"Quinn, Jake. Jake, Quinn."

"Hey, Quinn, nice to meet you. You here for long?"

"Well, kind of. I'm just visiting for the weekend right now, but I'm moving up here in two weeks' time."

"Oh, cool. What do you do?"

"I'm a journalist."

"Wait, wait, wait. Are you the Quinn that wrote the article on our rising star Berry, here?"

"That would be me."

"Wow. You're really young." Quinn raised an eyebrow, and Jake flushed, thinking he'd said the wrong thing. "I mean - "

"That you thought all journalists were old and stuffy?"

"Well…" Quinn laughed, and satisfied that he'd not inadvertently offended her, turned his eyes to Rachel. "By the way, Rach, Finn's back there waiting for you. He brought you flowers – guess you guys got back on track, huh?"

"O-oh. Okay. Thanks." The brunette had stiffened at the sound of Finn's name, but Jake didn't seem to notice – with one last smile at Quinn and a wave he disappeared, off to talk to some of the others.

"Want me to come with you?" Quinn murmured, having noticed Rachel's reaction to Jake's news, and the brunette nodded meekly, unable to form many words at the moment. "I can go get rid of him for you, if you want."

"No, I don't think that will go down too well. Come on," she sighed, indicating that Quinn should follow her backstage. There weren't many people back here yet, and Finn was easy to spot – he loomed outside her dressing room, a huge bouquet of flowers clasped in his hands.

"Rach! Thank God, I was worried." He stepped forward when he saw her walking towards him, not seeming to notice Quinn. The blonde lent back into the shadows cast by the dim lighting, deciding she wouldn't step in unless the brunette asked her to – she was likely to lash out and hit the oaf as hard as she could if she got too close.

She couldn't believe that Finn Hudson was idiot enough to have a girl like Rachel Berry and to let her go because he couldn't keep it in his pants. Quinn thought it was ridiculous – why anyone would want to stray when they could come home to the beautiful brunette, she couldn't comprehend.

She shook those thoughts away, though – they wouldn't do. She'd gotten over Rachel, she didn't want to slip back into her old affection for her – it wouldn't do either of them any good. Then again, the blonde thought as she admired the riled up diva before her, maybe it wasn't so easy to stop herself from falling for her all over again.

"I told you not to contact me until I was ready, Finn."

"Oh. I thought maybe you were joking."

"Joking?" Rachel scoffed, disbelief colouring her voice. "Why would I joke about that? I don't want to talk to you, and I definitely don't want to see you."

"Please, we can work this out, we can - "

"Why do you want to work it out, Finn? We've been heading towards this for a while, why do you want to try and fix it? Why now? Would you have even told me if I hadn't caught you I the act?"

Finn gaped, either too shocked by the diva's tirade or simply too stupid to think up an answer that would calm her down. Rachel's voice had been steadily rising, and Quinn glanced quickly behind her to see if any of the others had noticed. Thankfully, it didn't look like they had.

"Do you even love me anymore, Finn?" This time, her voice was quiet, vulnerable, barely even a whisper. Her voice nearly cracked halfway through, and Quinn was sure that if she could see the brunette's face that she would be fighting back tears.

"I…" Finn started, but he couldn't finish. He just looked down at the woman before him – his fiancé – with a dumb look on his face, and Quinn wanted to hit him more in that moment than she had ever wanted to before. Her hands shook in anger, and she squashed them painfully against her sides to try and quell her fury.

"Did you ever love me?" Was her next question. She was looking at the floor now, too disgusted or too heartbroken to look at the face of the man who had destroyed her. Had it all been a lie?

"I thought I did," came the response, his voice uncertain. "I thought I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, but… M-maybe I was wrong." It was probably the first honest thing Finn had said so far that day, but Quinn still saw Rachel flinch at his words. They might be true, but that didn't make them any easier to hear.

"I don't ever want to see you again, Finn. You can keep the apartment if you want, I don't care. Whatever you decide, don't contact me about it. Let Kurt know and he'll tell me. You can explain to both sets of our parents why we're not together anymore."

"But Rach, I - "

"You what, Finn? How can you argue after what you just said? That you don't know if you ever loved me? Because I know that I loved you. Maybe I don't, right now, maybe not anymore, because we haven't been good together for a long time, and I was too scared to say anything in-case we broke up again.

"But maybe I should have said something. Maybe then it wouldn't have come to this. But we're not meant to be, Finn. I can finally see that. So please, don't make this any harder for me. Just go."

He looked like he'd say something else but the brunette breezed past him and into the dressing room, slamming the door behind her. A second later it opened again, and just her hand appeared as she dropped her engagement ring to the floor, before she shut it again.

Finn started down at the ring before he knelt to pick it up, holding it in his palm. It was only when he put his hand on the handle of the door and tried to push it open that Quinn finally stepped forward from where she'd been hidden.

"She told you to leave her alone. I would've thought that even you could understand such a simple command." Her voice was cold, her arms crossed across her chest as she glared at him. Finn Hudson, at one point, had had everything that she ever wanted. She'd actually been jealous of him – now, that seemed ridiculous.

She shouldn't be jealous of someone like him. Someone that threw away someone as amazing as Rachel without even thinking, without even trying to stop it from happening.

"What are you doing here?" His tone was accusatory, his eyes hardening as he realised who was standing before him. They hadn't been on good terms towards the end of their time in high school. They'd been civil, sure, but Quinn had barely been able to look at him without wanting to strangle him.

"None of your business, Hudson. Now get out of here, and don't come back."

"You don't have any right to order me around."

"No," Quinn agreed, not flinching as Finn advanced towards her slowly. He'd long since dropped the flowers – they lay in a heap beside Rachel's dressing room door, and the hand that he'd held them in was now clenched in a fist. "But the girl whose heart you just broke does. Get. Out. Of. Here."

"Or what?" Quinn didn't answer, just smiled, hoping that he pushed her far enough so that hitting him would be justified. "What are you doing with her, anyway? You know, she was really upset when you stopped returning her messages. Coincidental, don't you think, that it was around the same time that her and I got back together?"

Internally, Quinn's heart raced. Was he suggesting what she thought? That he knew the real reason why she'd dropped all contact with Rachel? No, that wasn't possible. Surely,_ surely_ Finn Hudson of all people, couldn't have pieced together her secret, when no-one else had.

"Is everything alright here?" An uncertain male voice form behind them called. It sounded kind of like the guy that Rachel had introduced her to before, but Quinn didn't dare to turn around. Finn took one final step forward, pitching his voice low so that no-one else would be able to hear him.

"I saw the way you looked at her in high school. I figured it out, why you were so desperate for me to break up with her. Why you joined the celibacy club, why you never had a serious boyfriend. It was because you were in love with her. But she'll never notice you that way, she'll never see you in the same way you see her. Because she's not gay like you are."

A moment passed, a breath, as Quinn's brain processed the impossibility of his words. It was why it took her so long to notice the derision in his voice when he said the word gay. And then she snapped, the full impact of what he'd said and everything that he'd done to Rachel fuelling the fire she felt, and she reacted without even thinking – one moment, her hand was by her side, and the next, it was smashing into Finn's face.

There was the satisfying sound of cartilage crunching followed by Finn's shout, before she felt a flash of pain through her hand, and she bit her lip, cursing internally.

At least it was her left hand.

The commotion caused Rachel to pop her head back around the door, eyes widening as she took in Finn, huddled forward, blood running from between the hands that clutched at his face, to Quinn, standing a few paces away from him, holding her left hand gingerly across her body.

"Oh my God, Quinn, what did you do?"

"He deserved it," she muttered through gritted teeth, trying to ward off the pain. She was pretty sure she'd broken something, but it was still worth it, in her opinion.

"Well yes, he probably did, but… You've hurt yourself." She beckoned for the blonde to come into her dressing room as there was the sound of hurried footsteps, and half of the cast appeared over Quinn's shoulder, drawn by the noise.

Quinn slipped past them as they milled around Finn, helping him, and she sighed in relief when the door shut behind her, cutting off the sounds from outside.

"You need some ice for that. And also a trip to the hospital." Rachel examined Quinn's hand with careful fingers, gently probing her skin and pulling back when the blonde gasped in pain. "Okay, that looks broken."

"It's fine."

"It's not fine, you just broke Finn's nose. Why did you, anyway? What did he say to you?" Her gaze was curious, and Quinn looked pointedly away.

"Nothing."

"Riiiiight. And that's why you hit him, of course, that makes perfect sense." She ignored the brunette's sarcastic tone, and was spared by a loud knock on the door. "Come in!"

"Hey, are you okay? What happened out there?" Evan, looked concerned, eyes switching from Quinn to Rachel and then back to Quinn again.

"Finn pissed me off and got a little too far into my personal space, so I hit him. It's no big deal."

"You sure about that? Cause your hand looks painful. It's swelling."

"It's fine."

"It is not fine, Quinn," Rachel argued, and Quinn's gaze travelled back over to the brunette, who was frowning at her. "Let me take you to the hospital."

"You can't, you have a show to perform."

"I can be back before curtain call," came the quick response, Rachel already having glanced at the clock. "It's not like I'm going to forget my lines if I miss one rehearsal. Right, Evan?" She appealed to the tawny-haired director.

"Okay, okay. Yeah. Just be back as quick as you can."

"I will be," Rachel beamed, glancing towards Quinn with a stern look. "Come on, Fabray. Follow me, and don't argue. You know I'll win, it'll just waste time." She stood beside the door, holding it open and waiting expectantly for Quinn to follow her. With a sigh the blonde rose, resigned, and followed the diva out of the dressing room, deciding that ending up in A and E on her first day in the city she was moving to probably wasn't a good sign.

**A/N:**

**Thank you guys for all the reviews and favourites and follows, I really appreciate it! And I hope that Quinn lives up to your expectations; there will be a lot more of her POV in later chapters, I promise. **


	4. Chapter 4

There was a clinic not too far away, and luckily it was relatively empty, so they were out quickly. Quinn had sustained a fracture, and was sent away with a bandage wrapped around her left hand, stocked up with enough painkillers to last her for the next few days.

"I still can't believe you did that," said Rachel, shaking her head as they stepped back out into the chilly night air and began the short walk back to the theatre. Quinn had been quiet, hardly speaking unless she was asked a direct question, and Rachel wondered what had the blonde so lost in her head.

"Me either, honestly. But I've wanted to for a while. Feels good."

"Even with the pain?"

"I'd do it again in a heartbeat," Quinn replied. She still couldn't believe that Finn, out of all the people, had figured out the feelings she'd had for Rachel in high school – and from the sounds of it, had even figured it out before she had.

Only one other person had, and that was Santana. But the Latina hadn't let Quinn know about it, apart from the occasional offhand comment. She still remembered the time when she'd finally mustered up the courage to tell her best friend, the memory a fond one. It had been about three months into their college year, and they'd been Skyping.

"_Have you spoken to Britt lately?" The blonde had asked. She'd been amazed that the pair had broken up; she'd honestly thought that they'd be together for a very long time. Santana had sighed wistfully. _

"_A little. She's been busy with the Cheerios and Glee, though, and I've been slammed with work here. I miss her." _

"_I'm sorry," Quinn had murmured, hating the fact that she couldn't comfort her best friend in person. It had been hard, being so far apart when they'd grown so close over senior year and then the summer. _

"_Don't be, Q. Distract me – got any hotties hiding in your bedroom?" Quinn had rolled her eyes at Santana's suggestive tone. _

"_Nope."_

"_Oh, come on. There must be someone you have your eye on." _

"_Well, maybe there is. But not here." _

_"Oh? So where? Back home?" Quinn had deliberated for a long time before she replied, but it was about time that she spoke to someone about Rachel – she'd made friends at college, had told them her story, but without knowing the tiny brunette it was difficult for them to give her sound advice._

_"Yeah, back home. I… It's Rachel, San. I like Rachel." She'd glanced up at her laptop screen, seeing the other girl's complete lack of surprise and narrowing her eyes. "Why aren't you bombarding me with questions?"_

_"Because I knew," was the simple reply, with a shrug. Quinn had frowned, more confused than ever. "Come on, Q. I told you I have awesome gaydar, right? Well, even without that it was pretty obvious that you only had eyes for Berry. And don't lie to me – you more than like her."_

_"Fine. I'm in love with her." She let the words hang in the air, never having said them out loud before._

_"Why don't you tell her?"_

_"Because… she's not gay."_

_"How do you know? Have you ever asked her?"_

_"Well, no. But she dated Finn."_

_"So did you."_

_"Ugh, don't remind me," the blonde grimaced, and Santana grinned._

_"Seriously, you should think about telling her. You've been talking more, yeah? Why don't you go visit her in a couple of weeks, see how things go? You never know. And if she rejects you, then at least you'll know. You can move on."_

But she'd never made it to New York, because that very weekend, Finn and Rachel had gotten back together. She still remembered how she'd felt when she'd found out, the phonecall she'd made to Santana, where she'd completely broken down and cried for hours while the other girl tried to comfort her.

It hadn't been her one of her proudest moments, but it had made her feel a little better. And when Santana surprised with a visit at the weekend, she helped her forget her worries for the night when she'd gotten the blonde completely wasted.

Waking up next to a girl she didn't remember meeting the next morning hadn't been fun, but it had been the start of the next chapter of her life – the start of getting over Rachel Barbara Berry.

A feat that she still wasn't entirely sure that she'd managed.

"Where's your head at?" Rachel's voice cut through her thoughts, and Quinn turned her head to see the brunette looking at her with slight concern.

"Sorry, I was just thinking."

"What about?" She was spared having to answer when her phone rang, and she smiled at the name flashing across the screen. Santana. Of course.

"Sorry," she murmured apologetically to Rachel before she lifted the phone to her ear. "Hey, S. I was just thinking about you."

_"Oh, were you now? I bet that was an interesting daydream."_ Quinn rolled her eyes, not bothering to justify that with a response. "_So, word from Puck is that you just punched Finn in the face."_

"How the hell did Puck know?"

_"Finn called him. Asked if he could come crash in LA with him for a little while because he and Rachel broke up and he wanted to give her space. Is that true?"_

"Yeah, it is."

_"Did you get him good?"_

"I think so," Quinn laughed. "I broke his nose, at least." She saw Rachel glance up at her words, eyeing her curiously, no doubt wondering who was on the other end of the phone. "Why did you call? Just to confirm the gossip?"

_"No. Well, yeah, but I also wanted to check you were alright. How is it? Being around her again?"_

"Uhh, it's okay. I think. I can't really explain much right now."

_"She's there, isn't she?"_

"Yep."

_"Alright then, call me when you're on your own. I want to hear all the details."_

"Even when I'll be seeing you when you pick me up from the airport tomorrow?"

_"Yup, even then. Speak to you later, Q."_ She hung up, and Quinn slid her phone back into her pocket.

"It was Santana," she said in response to Rachel's unasked question, and the brunette nodded in understanding.

"I didn't know the two of you were still close."

"She's my best friend," Quinn replied simply, following Rachel back to her dressing room when they eventually reached the theatre. "We have apartments next door. Well, had." Quinn was sad about leaving behind Santana and Brittany in LA, but this job opportunity was too incredible to miss. "I'll miss her, but I'm sure she'll be visiting as often as she possibly can."

"What does she do?"

"She's a cheerleading coach at a high school, believe it or not. But only temporarily, until she decides what her next move is."

"And Brittany?"

"They're still together. They broke up for a little while, but it didn't last. She's a part-time dancer, part-time choreographer , I think it suits her well."

"I have to admit, I didn't expect them to last so long."

"Really?"

"You did?"

"Yeah. I mean, it was easy to see how crazy they were about each other. I'm just glad they made it work." They were interrupted by Evan, ushering the hair and make-up team into the dressing room and Quinn out of it, glancing anxiously at his watch at every available chance. Quinn just had time to wave before the door shut behind her.

She was given free reign backstage before the show started, but she wasn't that interested. Her main motivation for being there was just to see Rachel perform, the inner-workings of the show wasn't high on her priority list.

So she went and claimed her seat, in the middle of the front row. Once upon a time, it had probably been where Finn would have sat, but not anymore. Now she was there to claim it, only able to wish that she'd had the chance to do so before now.

The theatre started filling up with people soon enough, and it wasn't long before the lights dimmed, and the show began.

Rachel was amazing, dominating every scene she was in and singing every note perfectly. She was utterly and completely in character and mesmerising to watch. Quinn was completely enraptured by the brunette beauty on the stage, unable to keep her eyes off her, especially now that, unlike last time, she didn't have to pay attention to any of the others. She barely even registered them, except for the few scenes that Rachel wasn't in.

And then, all too soon, it was over. The curtain fell, applause rang out, and eventually the lights came back on, illuminating the cavernous room as the audience started to leave. Quinn waited until most had left before making her way to the side of the stage, slipping through the door and heading straight for where she knew Rachel would be.

"You were amazing," was all she said, and the brunette beamed in response, bringing a smile to Quinn's own lips. It was good to see her looking happy after the disastrous meeting she'd had with Finn just a handful of hours ago.

She was surprised when Rachel threw her arms around her neck in a hug, freezing for a second before she wrapped her own arms gingerly around the brunette's waist, forcing herself to keep breathing, even though all she wanted was to stop time and exist in this perfect moment for all of eternity.

She remembered the last time that they'd hugged (properly, when she'd comforted the brunette earlier in her hotel room, it wasn't the same) with crystal clear clarity. It had been that day in the bathroom, when she'd given her the metro passes that they'd never used. She'd replayed the moment in her mind too many times to ever forget the feeling, and now she was feeling it all over again.

"Thank you," Rachel murmured, laying her head on Quinn's shoulder, hot air brushing the blonde's next with every breath.

"You don't need to thank me for telling the truth, Rach," she replied in a whisper, not trusting her voice to remain steady if she spoke any louder. Her heart was racing in her chest, pounding in her ears, and she hoped that the brunette couldn't hear it. Her nose was assaulted with the smell of the diva's shampoo, mixed with the scent that was distinctly Rachel, and it was quickly becoming intoxicating.

"But still, thank you." They didn't say anything else, didn't mention how odd it was for them to be stood holding each other, after so many years apart; nor of how right it felt, finding comfort in one another's arms.

They only broke apart when the door opened without a knock, the pair springing apart guiltily, as though they'd been caught doing something they shouldn't. Kurt stood, framed in the doorway, eyeing the pair of them critically.

"Hey," Rachel was the first one to break the suffocatingly awkward silence, "what are you doing here?"

"I thought that you might want someone to walk you home. Jake texted me, he told me that Finn turned up here and something happened. I thought you might want to talk about it."

"Oh," was all the brunette managed, a little perturbed by the look that Kurt was giving her, both curious and confused.

"But I see that you already have company." He turned his gaze to the blonde, who was stood awkwardly slightly behind the brunette, and when she noticed his gaze she quirked her lips into a smile. "Hey, Quinn. Long time no see."

"Nice to see you too, Kurt," the blonde said, forcing her voice to remain friendly, even though Kurt's was as cold as ice. She wondered why – her treatment of the brunette in high school, her sudden refusal to talk to her in college, or something else. She doubted it would be long before she found out, if Kurt was as close with Rachel as she thought.

"S-shall we go out for drinks somewhere? Have you eaten, Kurt? Quinn and I were planning on going for a late dinner, would you like to join us?" Quinn willed him to say no, not liking the awkward tension that had come with the boy's arrival, but from the look in his eye as he contemplated the blonde, she already knew what his answer would be.

"Why, I'd love to."

They found themselves at a restaurant a few blocks away, close to both Kurt's apartment and Quinn's hotel. Quinn was content to let Rachel and Kurt do most of the talking, as the brunette filled him in on what had happened when Finn had visited them earlier.

"You hit him?" Kurt asked Quinn in disbelief when Rachel had gotten to that part of the story, and the blonde merely nodded as she sipped from the glass of red wine she held in her hand. She wasn't a big drinker, but awkward situations like this one definitely called for alcohol. "Why?"

"Because he deserved it."

"Since when do you care about what people deserve? Rachel didn't deserve you torturing her in high school, but you did it anyway." Quinn flinched, Rachel looked horrified, but Kurt just glared at the blonde challengingly, willing her to answer for her past actions.

"If I recall correctly, you weren't exactly nice to her in the beginning, either. And now look at you. The best of friends." Quinn's voice was icy, her eyes swimming with anger, and her hand clenched and unclenched around the stem of her wineglass.

"That was different. I didn't go around throwing slushies in her face every day and everything else you did. And now you're here acting all nice? I don't buy it."

"Kurt, would you leave her alone? She - "

"No, no, it's okay, Rachel. He just wants to protect you, I admire that," Quinn cut the brunette off, wondering if she was going to have to hit two of her former classmates before the day was done. "It doesn't mean he has to be a dick about it, though."

"_What_ did you call me?"

"Oh, I think you heard." They glared at one another across the table, blue eyes boring into stormy hazel, both willing the other to look away first. Quinn was furious – she regretted her actions in high school, they still haunted her, sometimes. She'd hated who she'd become, hurting the one girl that meant more than anything in the world to her, just because she hadn't been able to understand and accept what she was feeling.

To have that thrown back in her face, to have someone accuse her of being the same person she was back then now, it made her blood boil.

Luckily, the arguing pair were spared when Quinn's phone rang, the tone shattering the icy silence that had descended upon the three of them. She glanced at the caller ID absently, soft smile crossing her lips when she read the name.

"I told you I'd call you later," she answered, turning away slightly from Kurt's accusatory glare.

_"What's up?"_

"What? Nothing's up."

_"Oh, come on Q, I've known you for years, I can tell when something's wrong, your voice changes. Now, whose ass do I need to kick?"_ Quinn smiled in spite of herself, finding solace in her friend's familiar voice, needing it more now than she had done for a while.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," Quinn announced to the table, before standing up and walking towards the front door of the restaurant, stepping out into New York air and hoping it would clear away her anger. Once she was safely outside and out of earshot from any other people, she relayed the conversation that she'd had with Kurt.

_"He's a jackass, Q. He doesn't know anything."_

"But it's true, isn't it? I put her through hell in high school, how can she ever look at me in a good light again? I was a monster back then."

_"But you're not anymore. You're a completely different person, anyone can see that. Just don't take any of his shit, okay? He's just being overprotective of her, especially after everything that's happened with her and Finn. Which, by the way, I am still waiting for information on."_

"If I told you the whole story we'd be here for ages, and I need to eat."

_"Convenient excuse, Fabray."_

"I'll call you when I'm done? I don't really fancy staying around Kurt for much longer with the mood he's in, so I won't be long. Okay?"

_"Okay, fine. But if I'm asleep then you're telling me everything in the morning!"_

"Alright, alright. I'll speak to you soon, S." She hung up, making her way slowly back to their table, noting with relief that their food was already there. She slid back into her seat without a word, again letting Kurt and Rachel do all of the talking.

"I think I'd better be heading home," she said almost as soon as they were all done eating.

"What? No, you can't go yet. There's a place around the corner that does great cocktails, we should go!" Rachel replied, looking at her with pleading eyes.

"I don't think so, Rach, sorry. I'm exhausted, and I need to be up early for the apartment viewing tomorrow."

"But - "

"Honestly, I wouldn't be any fun anyway." She stood, throwing the money for her drink and food down on the table and grabbing her coat from the back of her chair. "I'll just… see you around, I guess."

With that, she turned away, not trusting herself to be able to refuse the brunette's offer if she asked again. Even having to put up with Kurt was worth it just to be around her, after being without her for so long.

Which was exactly why she needed to get away.

"Quinn, wait!" A slender hand caught her wrist when she'd taken just a few steps out of the front door, and she turned to see Rachel behind her. The warmth of the brunette's fingers on her skin was all she could take notice of, the simple touch managing to make her heart race. "I'm sorry. About Kurt. He's just…"

"Completely right?"

"No. I don't blame you for any of that, you know. We were different people back then."

"That's no excuse for the way I treated you, and you know it." She shook her hand free of the diva's, not trusting herself to think straight when they were touching. She felt her eyes betray her, filling with tears as she looked at the girl that had haunted her dreams and nightmares for so long, silhouetted by the streetlights in the darkness, remembering every one of their interactions, every single tortuous thing that she'd done when all she'd really wanted to do was kiss her.

"I'm so sorry," she murmured, voice cracking, forcing the tears to stay at bay, and then soft arms were thrown around her neck once more, and she was breathing in that intoxicating Rachel Berry scent again, arms cradling the smaller woman for the second time that day.

"I know you are," Rachel breathed, mouth right against the blonde's ear, making her shiver, and she hoped that Rachel thought it was because of the cold air and not from desire. Her arms tightened around the brunette, wishing that she never had to let go, that they never had to be separated again, because it was moments like this that could just about erase every terrible thing that she'd done, every night that she'd lain awake, every night that she'd cried herself to sleep, every time that she'd hated herself.

A perfect moment, and one that she had been deprived of for so long.

But it was a moment that couldn't last forever. Quinn was the first to move, knowing that if she stayed there much longer there was a high chance that she wouldn't ever be able to let go. She dropped her arms from where they'd landed, pressing against the brunette's back, and Rachel's arms unwound from her neck, falling to her sides, but she didn't step back.

Their breath mingled in the cold air, and their eyes met, neither one able to turn away. Quinn thought that it would be very easy to get lost in those eyes, to drown in them and never emerge. She wished she could know what the brunette was thinking, what had made her hug her, twice, why she hadn't yet moved, why she hadn't spoken, why she, too, wasn't looking away.

But it was questions like that that would drive the blonde insane. Always wondering, but never knowing. It had been like that, in the beginning, when they'd struck up their tentative friendship. She'd debated every word she ever said, every text she ever sent, every glance and every accidental touch, wondering how the brunette would react, wondering if she was ever pushing too far.

And then wondering what the brunette meant in her replies, her mannerisms, her everything. It had messed with her head, to the extent that it was half a relief, when she'd gotten back together with Finn, because it meant that the blonde knew, knew that the occasionally flirtatious texts that they'd sent (never face to face, no, she wasn't prepared for that possible rejection), meant nothing to Rachel, that that was just how she was.

And it was half a relief too, to know that she didn't have to debate every little thing she did, wondering if the brunette would perceive just how much Quinn adored her simply by her actions, when the blonde had made the decision to cease all contact with Rachel. That hadn't made it any less difficult, but it was what she told herself, in the dead of night, when she hadn't been able to sleep, wondering what would happen if she relaxed her rules and just once, just this one time, and sent a simple text asking how the brunette was, it was what she had told herself to prevent it from happening.

Because she knew that if she slipped, if she fell into talking to the brunette again, that there was no way that she would be able to stop it again.

"I should go," she finally managed to say, breaking the spell the pair had found themselves in, and taking a step back, putting a few inches of distance between them.

"Okay," Rachel replied, glancing over her should to where Kurt stood, arms folded across his chest, watching them. Quinn shivered, wondering how long he'd been standing there, wondering what he'd made of the lingering hug. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

"Uhh, I have the apartment viewing in the morning, and then I think I'm going to see the office that I'll be working in, so I'm not sure what time I'll be free…"

"Oh, okay." Quinn saw pain flash through brown eyes, and her hand reached out to stop the brunette from turning away.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. You're busy, I get it."

"Do you think that I'm just going to disappear and you'll never see me again?" From the resulting silence and the way that the brunette avoided her eye, Quinn guessed that she was right. "I'm not going anywhere, okay? I should have time before my flight tomorrow; do you want me to ring you when I'm free? We can go for food somewhere?"

"Okay," came the lightning fast reply, and Rachel's eyes sparkled with warm once more. Quinn almost sighed, but stopped herself at the last moment, knowing how it would sound to the vulnerable diva's ears, like she didn't want to see her, and that was as far from the truth as it was possible to get.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow," she said, wondering how she was managing to make it so awkward. She released her hold on Rachel's arm, having almost forgotten she'd reached out, feeling the loss of contact almost immediately.

"Yep." Surprising both of them, Rachel darted forward and kissed Quinn lightly on her cheek, before turning and bounding back to Kurt with a quick wave. The blonde watched them go before turning to cover the short distance to her hotel room, her cheek still tingling from the warmth of Rachel's lips, and felt a sinking feeling in her chest when she realised that today she'd discovered one thing for certain:

She was most definitely _not_ over Rachel Berry.

x-x-x

"Did you have to be so mean to her?" Rachel asked Kurt accusingly as they walked back to his apartment. He'd been silent so far, looking lost in thought, but finally she had been unable to stop the question from bursting forth.

"Yes, I did," her replied immediately.

"But why?"

"Because she was a complete bitch to you for years!"

"But… why now? You didn't care about it before. You didn't even care about it in high school."

"No, but… I don't want to get hurt again. Especially now, after Finn…" He trailed off, and she had no answer for that. They walked the rest of the way in silence, but at least it allowed Rachel adequate time to think.

It had been odd, seeing Quinn again after so long, but someone it had felt… right. Like a part of her had been missing and she hadn't even realised until it was back. And maybe that was the case – Kurt was her best friend, and she wouldn't replace him for the world, but she'd never really had a girl best friend in her life before, ever.

Being alone now also gave her time to muse over the bombshell that the blonde had casually released over lunch – that she was gay. It wasn't something that she would have ever seen coming, but at the same time, it didn't really surprise her though she couldn't pinpoint _why_, exactly.

"What makes you think Quinn will hurt me?" Rachel finally said, when they were behind the closed door of Kurt's apartment. He paused, giving her a slightly disbelieving look over the back of the sofa. "Yes, I know she's hurt me before, but that was years ago, and she's apologised."

"But has she ever told you why she treated you that way?"

"…No." It was a good point, and one that she hadn't really considered before. She'd always just assumed that it was because of Finn, or because she was jealous, but she'd never actually directly asked the blonde why.

"Exactly. I don't trust her, Rach, and you shouldn't either. Did she even tell you why she stopped talking to you back in college? I bet she didn't. She doesn't explain anything. She does whatever she wants, and I don't think she considers the consequences. I'm serious; don't trust her until she starts giving you answers."

With that he turned and strode into the bedroom, and Rachel couldn't decide whether to go after him or whether she was angry that he was telling her what to do. She decided the latter, and instead headed for the guest room, curling up in the bed.

It wasn't long before the door cracked open and Kurt peered through, looking slightly apologetic. "I'm sorry," was all he said, and she beckoned him inside the room. He shut the door and hovered by the bed, finally sitting down beside her.

"What's wrong?" She'd noticed something bothering her friend early in the evening, but after his and Quinn's outburst she'd put it down to that. Now she wasn't so sure.

"I… I spoke to Blaine today. H-he's dating someone."

"Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry." She leant forward and pulled him into a hug, feeling dampness where his cheek pressed against her shirt. "You deserve better, Kurt. You deserve someone who will put you first."

"Tell Quinn I'm sorry," he murmured after a few moments of silence. "I shouldn't have jumped all over her like that. But I meant what I said to you. There's something she's not telling you, I just don't know what."

**A/N:**

**Just one thing I'd like opinion on, would you guys prefer more of the flashbacks from both Rachel's and Quinn's pasts, like the one with Santana? As if y'all find them boring then I won't add them in ;)**

**Also, after the debacle that Glee has now turned into (in my opnion, anywho), it's highly doubtful that I'll be including anything canon from now on aside from the occasional small thing. **

**And finally, thank you again to everyone that have reviewed and the like, you're amazing and I'm really enjoying writing this story! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

The apartment was huge, and surely far too much for Quinn to afford. It was two bedrooms, two bathrooms, with a huge open-plan living area/kitchen._ Definitely_ far too much for her to afford.

"This place is amazing," she said to the estate agent who was standing a few feet away, assessing her reaction. "But I'm really not sure I can afford to live here."

"It's all taken care of, Ms Fabray. For as long as you work for the New York Times, they'll pay for you to live here. The contract is for a year, initially – after that, you can continue to stay here or move somewhere else if you wish."

"So… I don't have to pay anything?"

"Aside from the bills, no." It was too good to be true. She didn't have luck like this, ever. Feeling slightly giddy, she walked to the huge floor-length window that overlooked the city. It was beautiful, and she could scarcely believe that she was about to move here.

"Am I dreaming?" She breathed, hearing a soft laugh from behind her.

"I'm guessing that means you'll take it?"

"I will definitely take it," she said without hesitation. As soon as she'd walked in, she could see herself living here, see herself being happy here, curling up a couch overlooking the gorgeous view. "Definitely."

"Well then, all you need to do is sign the contract, and I'll get you your keys, and you can move in any time after two weeks yesterday."

"Thank you." When the papers were signed, and she had the keys in hand, she felt happier than she had in a long while. Being in LA had been great, and she'd loved it, but she'd never really felt like she'd belonged there, not like she had a purpose. But now… now she could see herself making it here, in New York. Could envision where she wanted to be in future.

With a spring in her step, she followed the estate agents out of the apartment block and onto the street outside, where the guy who had hired her, Michael, stood waiting beside a limo. It was very over-the-top, if you asked her, but she wasn't going to complain. If they wanted to woo her, she was going to let them.

"Everything suited for you, Ms Fabray?"

"Absolutely."

"Then would you like to see your new office?" She nodded in reply and he opened the door of the limo for her, and she slid into the plush leather interior, wondering again at how she'd managed to get herself here.

The office wasn't as glamorous as her apartment, but it was still a lot better than the one she'd worked out back in LA. She would be part of a team of eleven, writing articles as well as editing them, on a variety of different subject matters – it sounded a little bit like heaven.

She left the building a little while later, with instructions of what she'd need to do when she started in three weeks' time (they'd given her one week to settle into a new city before she started working), feeling content. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and rang a number that she'd never called before.

"Hey," Rachel answered groggily, making Quinn think that she hadn't been awake for long.

"Morning, sleepyhead." She check her watch, "or afternoon, even. Do you still want to meet for lunch?"

"Of course! I'll just have to get ready first, which might take a while… do you want to come over? Kurt's gone out, if that changes your mind."

"Okay, that makes me more inclined to agree. Where am I going?" Rachel rattled off quick directions with the instruction that she should call her if she got lost, but Quinn was fairly sure she would manage.

It was sunny out, but it was still cold, obvious that winter was approaching. The streets were bustling, but she managed to navigate fairly well, not bumping into any rushing New Yorkers. She arrived outside the building that Rachel had indicated ten minutes later, ringing the brunette again to let her know that she was outside.

"I'll buzz you in." A second later the door opened, and Quinn stepped into the foyer. "Fourth floor, apartment 6, see you in a second." It was quiet inside compared to the noise outside, and she admired the interior of the building as she made her way to the elevators, wondering how Kurt managed to afford the rent in a place like this without having a roommate.

"Hey," Rachel answered when Quinn knocked on the door a little while later. She'd obviously just gotten out of the shower, her hair was still wet and hung around her shoulders, and she was wearing a tiny bathrobe that Quinn was pretty sure would ride almost all the way up her thigh if she crossed her legs.

"Hey," she replied, stepping over the threshold when the brunette moved to one side. The apartment was nice, homely, even. A huge photoboard hung on one wall of the living room, filled with pictures, some old, some relatively new. Quinn glanced over them with a soft smile on her face, reliving some of her few content high school memories, as well as admiring the snapshots it gave of Rachel's life from the past few years – she featured heavily in the photos.

"I just need to dry my hair and then I'll be done, promise." Quinn followed Rachel into what she assumed was the guest bedroom, perching on the bed was the brunette sat on a desk chair and turned the blowdryer on.

Quinn let her mind wander, but kept finding her eyes straying to the brunette every few seconds. She looked gorgeous, and the way her bathrobe continued to ride up her legs as she stretched to dry the roots of her hair kept drawing Quinn's eyes low, trailing over the toned, tanned skin.

_Stop it, Fabray_, she chided herself, forcing her gaze away. She'd talked to Santana last night, but it hadn't helped. It wasn't like she could avoid the brunette like she'd done in the past, now that she was moving to the same city.

Maybe it would have been better if she just hadn't responded to the brunette's email. It felt like it had been weeks ago, but it had only been a handful of days. Only days since the person who she'd thought was out of her life forever (just not her mind), had re-appeared in the most unexpected way, since her heart had nearly stopped, seeing the name that haunted her dreams right there, in her email inbox.

She hadn't known what she'd expected, when she'd written that review. When her boss in LA had told her that she should apply for the new position in New York by writing about something that was passionate about, only one person had sprung to mind.

Rachel Berry.

She'd been keeping up with the brunette's career from afar, trying not to turn into a stalker. It had been pretty easy though – the internet told her everything she needed to know. So it was easy to find out that she was starring in a new musical that was probably heading for the award ceremonies.

So she'd flown to New York, watched the show, written a review that she'd sent in with her application, and been astounded when, a few weeks later, she'd gotten a call saying she was being published in the newspaper, and that they wanted to hire her as soon as possible.

And now here she was.

She didn't regret replying, couldn't regret being with the brunette, even though she knew nothing would ever happen between them. She would take the torture, if it meant that she could be around Rachel – after so long without her, it was heaven being able to see her now.

She was torn from her thoughts when the bedroom door was pushed open and Kurt stuck his head around, eyes hardening slightly when he saw Quinn. Rachel waved, and Quinn smiled tersely.

"Can I talk to you?" He said, and Quinn frowned, wondering what he could possibly want, but she stood up and followed him out anyway, missing the concerned glance that Rachel through after the pair of them as they left.

"What's up?" The blonde asked as soon as they were out of the room, not in the mood for any games after what he'd said last night. It might have been true, but it still stung.

"I wanted to apologise for the things I said last night, they were uncalled for."

"But you meant them."

"That's not the point. I don't apologise very often, Quinn, you'd do well to accept it."

"Is that all?" She knew that there was something else that the boy wasn't saying, and she arched an eyebrow, tapping her foot impatiently.

"No." He paused, eyeing the blonde curiously, trying to see what her game was. He honestly didn't understand why she was here, why she was treating Rachel like they were long-lost friends after everything that had happened between them… Well, there was one reason why it would make sense, but it was so preposterous that he barely even gave it thought. Because there was _no way_ that Quinn could have feelings for Rachel, just no way.

"Well?"

"Look, you and I don't get along, we never really have, but if you're going to be around here from now on, then I don't want us to be fighting all the time. I'll call a truce - on one condition."

"Which is?"

"Don't hurt her again." The words hung heavy in the air between them, Quinn flinching slightly at yet another reminder of how much pain she'd caused the brunette in the past. Kurt noticed it, but didn't say anything. He was content to observe, just for a little while, curious as to what the blonde's intentions were, what her reasons where for everything that she'd ever done.

"I won't," came the steady vow from the blonde. "I won't hurt her again."

x-x-x

"How's your hand today?" Quinn glanced up from the pasta she was eating, her gaze resting on the brunette sat opposite her. They'd left Kurt's apartment not long after he'd pulled Quinn aside, and headed for lunch somewhere close by.

"It's alright, actually. The painkillers they gave me must be pretty strong." She'd woken up that morning with a slight throbbing coming from underneath the tight bandage, but it wasn't the worst pain she'd ever experienced – it was nothing compared to how she'd felt some days waking up after Sue Sylvester had been on a Cheerios rampage.

"Good, I'm glad. Soooo," Quinn glanced up again, warily, noting the chance in Rachel's tone. "What did Kurt want to talk to you about?"

"I was wondering when that was coming," Quinn shook her head wryly, but she was smiling. "Nothing that needs to concern you."

"But - "

"Not telling you."

"That's mean," the brunette pouted, but it only made Quinn's smile widen. Then she had to look away quickly, because she might just give in. "Fine," she huffed, dramatically, "how was your apartment?"

"Amazing. I can't wait to move in."

"Can I help?"

"Uh yeah, sure. I'll let you know the details when I know what flight I'm getting and stuff." They drifted to other topics, mainly small-talk, and it wasn't long before the duo had to part – Rachel had to prepare for the first of the two shows she had to perform that day, and Quinn had to head to the airport to catch her flight back to LA.

"I'll see you in two weeks?" Rachel asked when they stood outside the restaurant, waiting to hail a cab for the blonde before she headed off to the theatre.

"Definitely." Quinn fidgeted slightly, wanting to hug the smaller girl one last time before she had to part from her for fourteen days, but she was unwilling to make the first move, not wanting Rachel to reject her, even though it seemed unlikely after the one they'd shared last night.

And eventually, it was the brunette that stepped forward, wrapping her arms around the blonde and squeezing gently before stepping back – it was over much too quickly for Quinn's liking, but she smiled softly at the brunette anyway, refusing to allow herself to show any sort of emotion on her face, like how much it hurt to walk away from Rachel, even it was only temporarily.

A cab screeched to a halt a few feet away from them, then, in response to Rachel's outstretched arm, and Quinn gave the diva one last smile and wave before she slid inside, giving the name of her hotel – she still needed to collect her suitcase and check out before she headed back to the airport.

It didn't take her long, and it was just over two hours later when she was waiting at the gate for her flight, wishing that she hadn't had to fly on consecutive days. The flight was on time, which she found to be a relief (she hated having to wait around in airports, it always made her more anxious), and all too soon they were in the air, leaving behind the New York skyline and heading high into the clouds.

Thankfully, there were no children screaming and kicking her chair this time, and no-one sat next to her, chatting away. She revelled in the quiet, and the solitude. She'd loved being around Rachel again this weekend, but sometimes she just needed time to be alone and in her own head, just to process things.

Things like the way she felt about a certain, tiny brunette.

Quinn sighed, shoving her headphones into her ears and blasting out loud rock music, leaning her head against the cold window pane and watching the world underneath them speed by. She was on the cusp of great things, of starting a job that she would have never dreamed, in a million years, that she would be able to have, and yet, somehow, some things were exactly the same as they had been when she'd graduated from high school, all those years ago.

She remembered graduation day vividly. Especially the party that had happened after – the entire glee club had headed over to Puck's for a 'sleepover' in the evening. Somehow he'd managed to procure enough alcohol for the lot of them to get completely drunk and Quinn, feeling both elated about the fact that she would soon be leaving Lima behind, and saddened that she was also going to be leaving the people she cared about most, had drank quite a lot and almost blurted some things she hadn't to the glee club's biggest star…

_She'd been outside, sitting on one of the sun loungers by Puck's pool, watching the stars above. She was definitely drunk, her head uncomfortably dizzy, but thankfully she didn't feel nauseous. She'd come outside to get away from the others, suddenly feeling alone amidst the raucous laughter and games._

_"What are doing out here?" Quinn had spun at the sound of the voice, even though she'd already known who it belonged to. She would know that voice anywhere, sleeping or waking. Rachel had looked particularly good that evening, in a short black dress and high heels, but she'd taken them off by that time._

_"I just needed a break," Quinn had replied, turning away from the beautiful brunette, not trusting herself to be able to think clearly if she continued to look at her when she was dressed like that. "How about you?"_

_"I came to find you." It was such a simple, honest answer, and it had warmed Quinn's heart, made her smile softly, even though she knew the brunette hadn't meant anything by it. She was just coming around the accepting the way she felt about the brunette, though that didn't make it any easier for her to bear._

_Especially when she came and sat on the lounger beside her, so close that their bare legs brushed and Quinn had to bite back her whimper when she felt the contact. "You look sad."_

_"I'm fine, Rach."_

_"Then why won't you look at me?" Quinn had sighed, though whether it was with exasperation or sadness she couldn't say. She turned to the side reluctantly, meeting brown eyes, forcing herself not to think about how stunning Rachel looked in that moment, framed by the moonlight, cheeks flushed from drinking and hair slightly mussed from the light breeze. "Much better."_

_But Quinn barely heard her. She was too fixated on the brunette's lips, wondering what would happen if she leaned forward and kissed her, right there in Puck's backyard, with Rachel's boyfriend just yards away._

_No, she had had to remind herself, he wasn't her boyfriend anymore; he was her fiancé._

_It shattered her daydream, shattered the illusion that she could close the distance between them, and very nearly shattered her heart, too. She was sure that she had never felt such a crushing realisation – she had felt her heart break every time she saw Rachel and Finn holding hands, clenched her fists to keep tears from forming in her eyes whenever they kissed – but now, for the first time, she was beginning to realise that she would never know what it would be like to have the brunette to herself; she belonged to someone else, well and truly, now._

_It was the first time she had ever really accepted their engagement, their plan to live together in New York and eventually get married. She thought idly that it was ironic that she had realised it when she was drunk, rather than when she was sober and thinking clearly._

_But that hadn't changed the devastating pain that she felt in her chest._

_Rachel must have seen something in Quinn's face change, because she reached out a hand to rest gently on the blonde's knee, her eyes concerned. "What's wrong?" But Quinn had backed away from the contact, springing to her feet, suddenly feeling much more aware of her surroundings than she had been before. Apparently she was sobering up._

_"Nothing, I'm fine."_

_"You don't look fine." Rachel had stood up too, stepping forward so that she was stood in-front of her, so close that Quinn could feel the brunette's breath on her lips, and she had almost snapped, almost, wanting so desperately to just feel the brunette's lips on hers, just once._

_But the moment was shattered by Finn's voice, calling out, wondering aloud where Rachel had gotten to. Quinn had stepped back hastily, aware and afraid of how it would look if they were seen standing so close together._

_"You should go," she had murmured, her voice sounding foreign even to her own ears. "Go be with him." Rachel had looked at her with an unreadable expression, opened her mouth as if she were about the say something but then shut it and walked away, into the waiting arms of her beloved Finn._

_When he'd leant down to kiss her Quinn had had to turn away, unable to stand it any longer. She waited until they'd gone back inside and then walked the few blocks home, tears running down her face the entire time._

It wasn't a pleasant memory for the blonde, but it was one that she often found herself drifting back to, wondering if it had been her chance to change everything. Part of her whispered that it would have been too late, while the other half claimed that if they were meant to be, then timing wouldn't matter.

Neither she nor Rachel had brought up that night again in the coming months. Quinn often wondered if it was because the brunette hadn't remembered because she'd drunk too much, or if she just hadn't known what to say.

It was pointless musing on the past now, though; she could only consider the future. The last time that Finn and Rachel had broken up, that summer, it had been perfectly obvious to the blonde that she was still in love with him, would have eyes for no-one else.

So she'd been the supportive friend, but thankfully the topic of Finn had never really been brought up in many of their conversations. Rachel had spent most of the summer settling into New York life, while Quinn had been away being a camp counsellor for part of the break – they'd only been in Lima together for a handful of weeks, most of their conversations had taken place via the phone, which had certainly made it a little easier for the blonde to control her feelings.

Now, though, it didn't look like Rachel and Finn were going to get back together, which left Quinn with a problem. She didn't think she could go through it all again, watching Rachel fall for someone else while she just watched from the side-lines.

But at the same time, the thought of losing her again if she told the brunette her feelings was almost unbearable.

So what should she do?

x-x-x

Rachel was exhausted after the day was done, having been on stage for a total of over four hours that day. Sundays and Tuesdays were the worst, when she had to do so much, but she was always glad to have the Monday off in-between to recover.

The apartment was dark when she arrived back, and she had no idea what time Kurt would be back. A quick glance through the small suitcase of belongings that Kurt had brought from her place was a reminder that she was rapidly running out of clothes – maybe it was time to go and get some more.

She traced the familiar path back to her apartment with quick, sure steps, suspecting that if she didn't then she'd lose the courage. She knew that Finn wouldn't be there, that he was in another state, but that didn't make it any easier.

Walking through the door hit her with flashbacks of the last time she'd been here, of seeing the scarf standing stark on the back of the couch, of the closed bedroom door and what she'd found beyond it.

Taking a deep breath she pushed herself forward, into that very bedroom, steeling herself. It looked the same as always, the soft blue sheets the same ones that she'd bought the day they'd gotten the bed, the day they'd moved in here. Photographs, snapshots of their lives were framed on the bedside table.

She picked one up, remembering the day. It had been her college graduation, and Finn had surprised her with flowers after the ceremony. The picture was of the two of them hugging, she holding the flowers tightly and grinning happily.

She recalled how she'd felt that day, on-top of the world, on the brink of her career, sure that she had everything that she had ever wanted, ever needed. She'd already landed a role in a small musical, ready for her as soon as she graduated, and being able to share that excitement with Finn had been wonderful, he'd been almost as happy as she had.

She set the frame back onto the table forcefully, refusing to allow herself to drown in memories of happier times. It was all tainted now, tainted by what Finn had done, the things that he had said. She wondered if she would ever be able to look back at their relationship without feeling that way.

All of his clothes and most of his belongings were gone, she noted, as she threw as many clothes as she could fit into her biggest suitcase, which usually sat ontop of the closet unless she was going on holiday.

She cleared out the bathroom next, and then milled around the other rooms, grabbing anything that she thought she might need, adding it to the large assortment already in the case. Usually she was an organised packer, but not now.

Now she just wanted to get of there as soon as possible, unable to stand the assault of memories that being in this place caused her. She knew, then, that would never be able to live here again. This apartment had been the past couple of years of her life, started out amazingly and ended up horribly, and neither was an emotion she was willing to feel at the moment.

She didn't realise that she was crying until she was outside once more, tugging the case behind her. She swiped at her eyes hastily, unwilling to let herself go completely until she was back behind closed doors.

Kurt still wasn't home by the time she got back, and she pre-occupied herself with putting her stuff away neatly in the guest bedroom, knowing that Kurt wouldn't mind her staying for a while longer. He would never admit it, but she knew that he was lonely living here alone, had been lonely ever since Blaine had left him.

And now she was alone, too.

It was a hard fact to accept. Aside from those brief few months her freshman year of college, she'd always had someone to go home to at night. Granted, for the last few months with Finn she had almost dreaded that, but he'd still been there.

But now she didn't have that comfort, and it was a scary thought. She didn't know how to open herself up to anyone again, didn't know how she could ever love someone again when she felt so low, so crushed, so utterly bent and broken by the one man who was supposed to make her feel anything but.

She hadn't allowed herself to feel the loss over the weekend, too pre-occupied by Quinn's visit, wanting to know all about the blonde's life over the past few years. It had been an easy and welcome distraction, but now she was alone with nothing but her thoughts, no-one to turn to for the time being, and it made her feel so hopeless that she almost, almost, let herself collapse into bed and just cry, cry until she couldn't cry anymore.

But Rachel Berry was better than that. She wouldn't allow Finn that satisfaction, even though he would never know how much he had truly hurt her. So curled up in bed and put on one of her favourite Barbara musicals, letting the familiar dialogue and songs soothe her.

Kurt stuck his head around the door halfway through, looking exhausted, and she ordered him to bed, refusing to talk to him until he'd gotten some rest. It was nearly two in the morning by the time the film finished, and just before she fell asleep she checked her phone, realising that she'd missed a text message.

_Just thought I'd let you know that I'm back in LA safe. Hope you've had a good afternoon, I know you'll have rocked your shows. Speak soon, Quinn xx_

She didn't reply, not wanting to wake the blonde if her phone wasn't on silent, and collapsed back onto the pillows, soft smile on her face. She'd loved this weekend with her, could scarcely believe that it had been so long since they'd spoken.

And now that she'd gone, she couldn't wait for the blonde to come back, until they were both residents of New York City. It was a thought that made her smile widen, and as she snuggled into the covers, ready to sleep, she couldn't help think that two weeks' time couldn't come fast enough.


	6. Chapter 6

_Two weeks later…_

Rachel headed over to Quinn's new apartment with a spring in her step. It was three in the afternoon on Saturday, which meant that she only had a handful of hours before she had to be at the theatre, but she'd take it. She'd been in regular conversation with the blonde over the time they'd been apart, and she was impatient to see her again.

It was a bright afternoon, but she still wore a long coat over her jeans and tank top to try and stave off the chill in the air. It was less than a ten minute walk to Quinn's, but her excitement meant that she made it there sooner, bounding up the three steps that led inside eagerly, before heading to the elevator and pressing the button for the fifth floor.

She was feeling good – she was getting more rave reviews for Spring Awakening, and was already considering auditions for what her next musical would be, not wanting her moment in the spotlight to go to waste. She hadn't heard from Finn since _that_ night, which made her feel sad but content at the same time.

The apartment had been put up for sale three days ago, and Kurt was dealing with it. She couldn't bear to be there for longer than necessary, and he'd been happy to help. They were officially roommates again now, and it was good to have someone that she could come home to and just hang out with, like old times, when she'd first started at NYADA.

The door to Quinn's apartment was propped open, and several boxes littered the hallway outside. Rachel could hear laughing voices from inside, and she hovered uncertainly near the door, deciding that knocking would be the best plan of action.

"Hello?" She called, not able to see anyone inside the huge room she was gazing into, and Quinn's head appeared around the bedroom door a few moments later, smile on her face.

"Hey, Rach. Come in and join the chaos." More boxes were inside, along with a few items of furniture that had clearly just been shoved to one side. It was an absolute mess, and it made the obsessive, neat part of her cringe slightly.

"Is that Berry?" Came a voice from behind Quinn, and Rachel looked over curiously, trying to see who was behind the blonde, even though from the voice she had a pretty good idea. Sure enough, Santana also appeared around the doorframe, smirking slightly. "Never mind, I'll just answer my own question."

Quinn rolled her eyes and turned away, moving to start putting things away in the kitchen. Santana eyed Rachel with curious eyes, in a way that made her feel slightly uncomfortable, as though she was trying to read her thoughts.

"Long time no see," she said eventually, and Rachel nodded meekly in agreement. The Latina hadn't changed much since high school, appearance-wise, but then again Rachel thought that the same could be said about both her and Quinn. "How you doing?"

"Uh, good." The question caught her off-guard. They'd patched up some of their differences shortly before graduation, but they'd never been on good terms, but unless she was mistaken there was a definite gleam of sympathy in her dark eyes.

"I'm sorry about Finn. He's a gigantic asshole, and you're much better off without him." And with that, she turned around and disappeared back into the bedroom, leaving Rachel standing still half in the doorway, stunned.

"If I hear any questionable noises coming from that bedroom I'm hauling your asses back out here where I can see you!" Quinn's voice, playful, broke Rachel out of her frozen stance and she walked more fully into the apartment, admiring the view.

"Why? Afraid we're gonna do it on your new bed?" Santana drawled, re-emerging from behind the door with Brittany in tow, holding the blonde's hand. "I thought we could christen it for you, not like you're going to be doing it in there anytime soon."

Rachel turned just so she could see the expression on Quinn's face, both shocked and flushed in embarrassment, and tried to stop herself from laughing. Santana was smirking, clearly pleased with herself, while Brittany just watched the pair of them affectionately.

"If you want, Quinn, you can join in," she supplied helpfully, which made Quinn's eyes widen in alarm and Santana to start laughing.

"Nah, she couldn't handle the two of us, babe. Q's not hard-core enough." The blonde still looked mortified, and Rachel watched the exchange with amusement, not having heard a conversation quite like this for a long time.

"I am plenty hardcore enough, thank you."

"_Please_."

"If you joined in with us one time, Quinn, you could prove Santana wrong."

"Don't think I'll be doing that, Britt. Let's just agree that we're as an impasse, yeah?" Brittany shrugged and then wandered over to one of the boxes marked bedroom before picking it up and disappearing back behind the door. "I'm serious, San," Quinn piped up when the brunette went to follow her girlfriend. The blonde was holding a wooden spoon in one hand, pointing at her friend in an attempt to be menacing. "Hands to yourself."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll be good. I'll leave you two alone to get reacquainted." She winked at the blonde, who glared after her with narrowed eyes. Rachel nearly flushed with the tone that Santana had delivered the comment in – it had almost sounded, well… dirty.

"Sorry about that," Quinn apologised as Rachel meandered her way over to where the blonde was pulling kitchen appliances out of boxes and setting them on the counters, piling plates and cutlery to once side, ready to be put away.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I didn't know they were coming today."

"Neither did I until this morning. I'm sorry, should I have warned you? I didn't think to, I just thought that - "

"Quinn, stop rambling." Rachel had taken a step closer to the blonde without realising, pressing a finger against her lips to cut off her tirade. She wondered, absently, how they always seemed to end up standing so close together, always touching, without her even consciously thinking about it. "It's fine."

This close, she could see the swirling colours of the blonde's eyes, the green and the brown mixing into a shade of hazel that was uniquely Quinn. She let her hand drop, trailing it gently over the blonde's cheek as she did so, noting the delicate shiver that ran through Quinn's body at the touch, the way her eyelids fluttered shut for just one second, and wondered if she'd ever seen anything so beautiful.

"Are you sure?" The blonde's voice was low, as if speaking too loudly would shatter the moment, and maybe it would have done. It reminded her of another time, long, long ago, back in Puck's backyard at his graduation party, when she had been almost positive that Quinn had been about to kiss her.

She'd put it down to other things, though – alcohol being the most obvious one. It made no sense for the blonde to want her like that, after everything, so surely, _surely_ she'd just imagined it. But now, in this moment, seeing the intensity in the hazel eyes before her, feeling the tension that seemed crackle between them, now she wasn't so sure.

"Hey, where do you want - oh shit, sorry." This time it was Santana would broke the moment, and not Finn, or Kurt, and Rachel wondered if they'd always be interrupted, and what exactly would happen if they weren't.

Quinn had stepped back until she was leaning against the counter, and Rachel caught the glances that shot between the blonde and the other brunette, desperately wishing she could know what they were trying to convey.

"I'll be right back," Quinn murmured softly, before she pushed herself off the kitchen counter and followed Santana out of the room without saying another word. She busied herself putting away the things that Quinn had laid out, and turned when she heard a door open, but it was the wrong blonde she saw – Brittany was approaching her, smiling softly.

"Hey, Britt."

"Hey." She came over to help the brunette, and they worked in silence – Rachel could just about hear muffled voices coming from behind her, but there was no way for her to make out what they were saying. "I wish Quinn didn't have to move."

"You can come visit her all the time," Rachel hastened to reassure the other girl, seeing the sad look on her face.

"Yeah, but it's not the same. She used to live across the hall, now she's all the way across the country. I want to move here too but San said we can't yet."

Rachel didn't really have a response to that, so she didn't say anything. It was a few minutes before Brittany spoke again, and Rachel was glad to have put down the glassware that she'd been holding beforehand, because she was sure that the shock would have caused her to drop them.

"You and Quinn would make a cute couple." It was such a simple statement, uttered with such innocence, an innocence that only Brittany could muster, but it was the most absurd thing that the brunette had ever heard in her entire life.

"What? That's insane, Brittany, Quinn would never think of me that way."

"But you think of her that way?" The blonde asked coyly, and Rachel frowned, wondering why that hadn't been the first thing she'd said.

"Of course not, just I- " She trailed off when she heard the door opening again, to reveal Santana standing with her hands on her hips and eyeing her girlfriend and Rachel critically.

"Britt, Q needs you in there."

"Are you coming too?" Santana smirked at that, and Rachel bit back a laugh at the hopeful expression on the blonde's face.

"Nah, I'm gonna start on stuff out here." Rachel turned back to what she'd been doing, feeling Santana's gaze on her back, but not daring to meet it. There'd been something different about her, since she'd seen her with the blonde in the kitchen, and Rachel had no idea what it was but she didn't think it was good.

"So," she began after a little while. "How's your show going? You'll have to score me and Britt some tickets so we can come see what the fuss is about." It wasn't a topic that Rachel had expected, and it surprised her enough so that she turned around, eyeing the brunette warily.

"Just let me know where and when. How long are you here for? Cause I can get you tickets for tonight or tomorrow, if you want."

"We're here 'til Monday night, just until Q gets settled."

"Oh, well, if you wanna come then just let me know. I wouldn't have thought Quinn would have liked to see it again, though, it'd be the third time." Santana muttered something that Rachel couldn't quite catch, and she frowned. "What was that?"

"Nothing."

"I know you said something."

"No, I didn't." There was defiance in the eyes looking back at her, and Rachel was reminded uncomfortably of the times in high school when they'd been glaring at her with malice. But this was something different, she was sure of it – she still couldn't place the brunette's motivation for wanting to talk to her alone, though.

"Okay, whatever you say." She spun around with a huff, hearing the short laugh from behind her.

"You haven't changed, have you, Berry?"

"I think I have, actually. Quite a lot, and you don't know me now, so you'd do well not to draw conclusions about me after we've only spoken for a handful of minutes." Irritation shone through in her tone, and she sighed after a moment, regretting talking to the brunette so snappishly. "I'm sorry, I - "

"Oh, no, don't apologise. It seems that you've finally grown some balls." She turned to see Santana stood just a few feet away, having moved soundlessly over to her. "Maybe you have changed after all," she mused.

"What do you want?" Rachel asked, feeling emboldened. She doubted she'd get an answer, but there was no harm in trying.

"To figure you out," was all she got in return, and she frowned, wondering what reason the brunette could have for doing that.

"Figure me out? What does that even mean?"

"You don't need to know." With that she turned on her heel, she too disappearing into that damned bedroom, and after a moment Rachel followed her, tired of everyone running away from her.

Inside, the three of them were perched ontop of Quinn's king-sized bed, packing clearly forgotten.

"Come on in, Berry," called Santana, tapping the bed beside where she sat. "Let's make it a party."

She sat warily beside the Latina, looking at Quinn for help, but the blonde was focused on something else, gazing out of the window at the city. She glanced at her watch, noting that she only had an hour before she'd need to be at rehearsals.

"If you don't need any more of my help, Quinn, then I think I'll go get some food before I head off to the theatre."

"Ooh, food. That's the magic word, Berry, because I'm starving. Let's go."

"But - " Rachel's protests were cut off by Santana's wicked grin, knowing that she'd wanted to escape, and Quinn's mouthed 'I'm sorry' over the Latina's head. "Fine. But I'm choosing the place." The other three agreed and they left shortly after, Rachel and Quinn walking slightly ahead of the other two.

"I really am sorry about them," Quinn murmured quietly as they walked, "they can be a bit… overbearing at times. I'm sure you remember."

"Mm," Rachel agreed, glancing back to see that the couple had stopped in order to start kissing in the middle of the street. "Um, should we wait for them?"

"What?" Quinn also turned, making a face when she noticed what Rachel meant. "I swear they can't keep their hands off each other for more than two seconds, even after all this time." Rachel looked away, the comment hitting close to home, and Quinn winced. "Crap, sorry, you know I didn't mean anything by that."

"I know, I know."

"And as for those two, I'm sure they'll catch us up. And if not, they both have my number." They carried on walking, and Rachel shivered as an icy wind blasted them. It had gotten colder in the time she'd been at Quinn's, the rapidly darkening sky not helping to improve the temperature.

On impulse, she slid her arm through the gap the blonde's made where they stuck out from her hands being shoved into her coat pockets. She walked slightly closer to Quinn, half because the body heat that she gave off was helping to keep the cold at bay, and half because she just wanted to be closer.

"How are you doing, Rach? Honestly?"

"About what? Finn? I'm managing. It hurts, but to be honest… I think I knew for a while that it wasn't going to work out. It almost feels like we haven't been together for months anyway, and that certainly makes it easier to bear."

"I'm glad," the blonde murmured, and Rachel glanced up to see hazel eyes watching her, a fond expression on the blonde's face that quickly morphed into something else as Rachel's eyes lifted.

"How's your hand now?" She'd noticed that the blonde's bandage had disappeared, but hadn't yet had the chance to ask.

"It's good, I went to the doctor back in LA and he said that it was healing fine, that as long as I didn't use it too much for a while then I didn't need a bandage anymore."

"And did he know at that point that you were going to be hauling heavy boxes around?"

"Uh, sure?" Rachel laughed, steering Quinn around a corner and to a place that served food that she thought the blonde would enjoy and that also served vegan stuff. She realised belatedly that in being with the blonde so much lately that she'd been eating out much more frequently than normal – she'd have to remedy that soon and start cooking for her instead.

"Did you see him in LA?" It wasn't something that Rachel had been especially curious about – she'd been trying not to think about Finn too much, but it was something that she had wondered when she'd slipped up.

"Once, from a distance. He didn't know I was there. I got to see the lovely black eye and crooked nose that I gave him, though." Rachel didn't really know how to follow that, so just opted for silence. The sign for the restaurant appeared soon after, and she glanced back to try and find a sign of Santana and Brittany. They weren't too far behind, thankfully, and arrived soon after, the foursome heading into the warmth for some much-needed refreshment.

x-x-x

"Q, I'm sorry, but that girl has you so whipped." It was later that evening, and the Unholy Trinity were camped out in Quinn's new apartment, sprawled over the two couches she'd moved into the living area, both laid out at an angle that let them see the sprawling streets below.

"Thanks for the support, San, really appreciate it." Rachel had left straight after they'd eaten, and Santana, for some reason, had chosen to increase the blonde's torture by inviting the brunette out for drink with them after her show finished.

"Hey, you know I love you, I'm just pointing out the truth. And you know, I think she could fall for you, too."

"I don't think so. She chose Finn, she's straight."

"Q, she didn't choose Finn over you. She just chose him because there was no-one else fighting for her. And I get why, I really do, because I don't think that the end of high school would have been a good time for you to start something together, but you seriously need to get it into your head that she didn't chose Finn instead of you. That's ridiculous, when she's completely oblivious to the way you feel about her."

Quinn narrowed her eyes at her best friend's words. "How do you know she's oblivious?"

"I just do. And also because Britt told her the two of you would make a cute couple and the first thing that came out of her mouth was 'Quinn could never feel that way about me', and not 'I don't feel that way about Quinn'."

"That's not a lot to go with."

"Nothing will be enough for you to 'go with', Q, you've had five years to make a move and haven't. And that's been fine, because she wasn't single, she was engaged for God's sake, but she's not anymore."

"So, you think I should go for it." It wasn't a question, because she already knew the answer, she'd already known it when she'd taken her aside earlier on after interrupting her and Rachel in the kitchen.

"I think you should do something. Look, tonight, we'll do a test, okay?"

"What kind of test?"

"We're going to make her jealous, so that you can see that she's interested in you, even if she doesn't quite know it yet."

"That's a ridiculous idea."

"Oh, we'll see." Quinn wasn't sure she liked the glint in Santana's eyes, but she let the subject drop – she trusted the other girl, because even if her relationship with Brittany was a little odd to the outside eye, they'd managed to last for this long and were still completely in love, and that was exactly what she wanted with someone. A certain someone in particular.

It wasn't long until they needed to get ready, and with Santana's instructions to 'look hot' still echoing her ears, Quinn surveyed her wardrobe with pursed lips. All of her clothes had come to New York with her, so she had quite the selection to choose from.

Eventually, after much deliberation, she chose a dark blue dress that barely reached to her mid-thigh and had a revealing neckline, neglecting to wear a bra with it. She slipped on heels that matched and then set to doing her hair and make-up - it took her around half an hour before she was completely ready, and when she stepped back outside her bedroom she saw that the others were already waiting for her.

"Damn, Q," was all Santana said, eyeing her dress approvingly while Quinn fidgeted with the skirt, pulling it down nervously. She hadn't worn anything so revealing in a long time, and she was still half-tempted to go and change.

"You look hot," Brittany said simply, and Quinn decided that the quicker they left, the better - less chance to worry about her outfit. They were on their way soon after, after they'd all slipped on coats to protect against the cold. The walk to Rachel's theatre was short, but Quinn was regretting the decision to wear heels by the time they got there.

She lead the way inside, darting past the people she half-remembered from her last trip here, the other two following as she made her way to the brunette's dressing room. She stood outside, talking to Jake and two other guys Quinn didn't recognise.

"Hey!" Rachel called when she noticed them, and Quinn smiled in return, ignoring the looks the three guys were throwing her, and presumably the other two over her shoulder. "I'm all set."

"Where are you off to?" One of the guys asked, touching Rachel's wrist to stop her moving away before she answered. Quinn's eyes narrowed, but Rachel brushed him off easily.

"Out. And it's girls-only, sorry." The brunette must have noticed the angry look in the Quinn's eyes and grabbed her hand, leading her out hastily, presumably not wanting a repeat of the Finn-punch.

Rachel's hand was warm in her own, the brunette rubbing calming circles over the back with her thumb, and Quinn nearly melted into a puddle, right there in the middle of the theatre, sure that holding hands with someone shouldn't feel so good, so right, so utterly and completely perfect.

"Who was that?" Quinn asked as they slid through the door and into the outside street, turning to face the brunette and for the first time noticing how short her dress must be for it to not show under the hem of her long black coat. She just about managed to drag her eyes away from long, toned legs, hopefully before Rachel noticed.

"One of Jake's friends," she replied, almost forgetting that her fingers were still linked with the blonde's. She released her hand reluctantly, and saw a flash of something in hazel eyes as she did, something that made her regret letting go almost immediately, wanting to make whatever that emotion was go away, because it didn't look like a good one.

"He wasn't giving you trouble, was he?" Quinn's voice was even when she spoke, with no hint of the loss that she'd felt as soon as Rachel had released her hold, and it was only then that she noticed Santana and Brittany a few feet away, clearly giving the pair of them space. She appreciated it but at the same time she didn't want Rachel to feel like she was always alone with her.

"Nah, he's harmless, honestly. Now, want me to show you where the best bars are?" She nodded in agreement and they set off, the other two following close behind. They ended up at the cocktail bar that Rachel had wanted to go to when she, Quinn and Kurt had had dinner two weeks ago, and the brunette headed off to the bar immediately to choose everyone's drinks for them.

"I won't complain if she's buying," Santana called over the loud music that was playing inside. They chose a booth towards the back of the bar, Quinn sliding in opposite the other two. "But my plan won't work here."

"Why?"

"Well, it might, but it'd be so much easier in a gay bar."

"Santana, we are not taking Rachel to a gay bar."

"Why the hell not?"

"A better question would be why the hell should we?"

"Because!"

"That's not a reason!"

"A reason for what?" Rachel's voice cut off their bickering, and she placed a tray in the centre of the table, filled with four shots and four cocktails, all different. Quinn just stared at Santana helplessly, and she winked at the blonde before turning to Rachel.

"We want to go to a gay bar after this, Berry, you know anywhere?"

"I… Y-yeah, sure. I've only ever been to one, though, with Kurt…"

"So you don't have a problem with going to one?"

"No, not at all. Why would I?" She looked at Santana quizzically as she sat in the booth next to Quinn, her leg brushing against the blonde's accidentally as she did so, causing the blonde's eyes to flicker briefly shut.

"See, Q, I told you."

"You thought I'd have an issue with it, Quinn? I must say, I'm surprised. I'm very accepting, I thought you knew that?" Quinn wished that she could sink back into the chair and never be seen again, as Rachel turned her confused gaze towards her, and Santana snickered.

"I just… didn't want you to be uncomfortable," she managed to say eventually, deciding that that sounded like a perfectly appropriate answer.

"While I can see your point and appreciate your concern, I assure you that I don't have a problem with it." Santana smirked at Quinn across the table and she kicked her in response, transforming her face to a glare. She smiled serenely in response.

"Okay, now that we've got that out the way, how about we get this party started?" Santana handed out the shots to each of them. "To Quinn's big move," she toasted before slamming the shot back, the others following suit. Quinn winced at the bitter taste of the alcohol and reached for one the cocktails in the hope that it'd get rid of the aftertaste.

"What are these, anyway?" Rachel listed four drinks that Quinn had never heard off in her life, and judging from Santana and Brittany's blank looks, neither had they. Eventually they decided to try all four and settle for the one they liked the most.

Quinn had no idea what was in hers, but after half of it was gone she already felt rather tipsy. Maybe drinking wasn't such a good idea after all – she didn't want to accidentally spill something to Rachel that she'd regret in the morning, but at the same time it had been so long since she'd really let go and had fun, and she couldn't think of a much better way to do it than here in the city of dreams surrounded by the people she cared about the most.

They moved on when they were all finished, Rachel directing them to the nearest gay club, much to Santana's glee. She and Brittany soon disappeared, off to dance, leaving Rachel and Quinn sat on one of the few tables on the upper floor, watching the dancefloor.

"I feel like they should come with a rating," Rachel said as she watched their former glee-clubbers grind against each other in time to the music, their hands starting to wander, and she pointedly looked away, realising that the blonde was looking at her quizzically, apparently not having heard her.

She repeated herself, this time leaning closer to Quinn's ear, inhaling the scent of the blonde's perfume mixed with her shampoo and thinking that it had been a long time since anything had smelled so good. Quinn shivered as Rachel's breath brushed her ear, and she laughed in response to the brunette's words.

"Definitely," she agreed, glancing once at them and promptly wishing she hadn't. She'd seen enough of the two of them during their lives together, partly because they never locked doors and partly because they liked to do things in public places, but it wasn't something that she'd even choose to see.

Rachel finally leant back, and Quinn allowed herself to breathe easily once more. She wished the brunette didn't have such an effect on her, but after so long now she doubted that it would ever go away.

"I'm going to get some drinks, what do you want?"

"Whatever you're having. And be careful." Rachel rolled her eyes at the blonde's overprotectiveness before standing, nearly revealing her ass in the process because her dress was that short, before she proceeded down the stairs, Quinn watching her go.

That dress was surely a menace to society. When Rachel had first shrugged the coat from her shoulders when they'd entered the club Quinn was sure that her eyes had nearly popped out of their sockets, and judging from Santana's muffled laughter it had probably looked that way, too. Though she had seen the brunette steal a few glances at Quinn after she'd removed her own jacket, so maybe they were even on that front.

Santana and Brittany came back then, dropping into the seat Rachel had just vacated, effectively meaning that Rachel had nowhere to sit, with Brittany on Santana's lap. Quinn quirked an eyebrow at her friend, but she just smiled mysteriously and mouthed 'the plan', which made Quinn roll her eyes in exasperation.

When Rachel finally returned, a drink in either hand after not knowing when the other two would be joining them again, she frowned in confusion. "Why don't you and Quinn share a seat, Rach?"

Quinn's head whipped around to glare at Santana and her suggestion, but she just received a wide grin in return, Brittany trying to stifle a giggle behind her hand.

"You can just have my chair, Rach, I'll stand up."

"No, no, it's fine, Quinn." She deposited their drinks on the table and then perched gingerly on the blonde's knee, assaulting every one of Quinn's senses in one go. She twisted slightly to pass the blonde a plastic cup filled with alcohol, and their eyes met for a brief second, Quinn sure that she wasn't imagining the heat in that gaze.

Santana cleared her throat noisily, which made Rachel flush and Quinn glare as the brunette turned back around, downing half her drink in one go, her hands shaking very slightly. Quinn was left with nothing to distract her from the lithe body pressed against her, and she forced herself not to concentrate on the feeling of Rachel's smooth legs brushing against her own every time she shifted, of her scent invading her nose and the fact that from the view she had over Rachel's shoulder, her eyes could follow the brunette's dress neckline down to her chest, where it became painfully obvious to the blonde that Rachel, like her, also wasn't wearing a bra.

It was absolute torture for Quinn, and she wondered if Santana had planned this in order to force her to make a move, but she wasn't going to give in. If she did this, it would be on her own terms, and she wouldn't make her first move in a club when they'd both been drinking.

Eventually the couple must have gotten bored with her and Rachel, because they soon disappeared, off to dance and leaving them alone again. Quinn's heart didn't start beating at a normal rate until the brunette had settled back into the other chair, and she tried to breath evenly again.

Quinn glanced absently at her watch, eyes widening when she realised what time it was. It was almost three, and she really wasn't feeling up to staying out for much longer. She said as much to Rachel, leaning over to ask if she was ready to leave yet, forcing her eyes not to stray down to the brunette's chest as she spoke.

Rachel agreed to leave, and they set off together to find Brittany and Santana. It wasn't difficult, but it involved wading through the heaving dancefloor to get to them, and Quinn was promptly pulled into a dance by the pair of them as soon as she reached them.

"We're going to leave, San," she called over the music, leaning as close to her friend as she could get. "You can come with or stay here and I'll just see you whenever?"

"Yeah I think we'll stay."

"Alright, be careful." Santana rolled her eyes at Quinn's concern, and she waved to Brittany as she passed, and had almost reached where Rachel was standing, just off the edge of the dancefloor,when a hand grabbed her and spun her around.

"Hey, gorgeous, wanna dance?" The girl wasn't much older than Quinn, but she definitely wasn't her type. No-one aside from Rachel was her type, really, but if she had to choose someone else it wouldn't be this woman.

"Not really, no," she replied coolly, trying to pull her arm free.

"Oh, come on."

"She said no," cut in another voice, dangerously low and laced with fury, and Quinn turned to see Rachel standing behind her, looking positively murderous. "Leave her alone." She grabbed the blonde's free arm and tugged away from the other woman, leading her outside into the fresh air.

It didn't escape Quinn's notice that the hand that held hers tightly was trembling, though what from she didn't know. And it also didn't escape her notice when the brunette didn't let go when they were safely on the street.

"Are you okay?" Quinn asked curiously, and Rachel just nodded, jaw set. "What's up?"

"Nothing," the brunette replied, automatically heading for the place she shared with Kurt. "Does it not bother you, her having her hands all over you?"

"She was hardly all over me, Rach." She paused, then considering, and pulled the brunette to a stop, spinning her around so they were facing. "Does it bother you?" Jealously wasn't something that Quinn had originally considered, dismissing Santana's so-called 'plan' immediately, but it did make sense – the brunette's shocked expression and the way she opened her mouth but no words came out just served to make her to think she'd guessed correctly.

"No, of course not. I just thought you'd mind, is all." Rachel tugged her hand free and stalked off, leaving Quinn standing where she was, bewildered. Meanwhile, Rachel's mind was spinning – had she been jealous? Surely that wasn't possible. The sudden and unquenchable anger that she'd felt as soon as she'd seen that other woman touch Quinn had been something else entirely. Protectiveness over her friend, that must have been it.

It took her a few seconds to realise that Quinn was no longer following her, and she turned to see the blonde still stood where she'd left her, looking lost and a little hurt. With sigh, she retraced her steps until she was back beside her.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"No, no, it's okay." They set off again together, but neither spoke. Quinn couldn't help thinking that she'd just managed to push their progress, both as friends and, if things went that way, something more, back a while.

She should have known that Santana's plan to move things forward would have backfired.

It wasn't until they were outside Rachel's apartment block that they finally spoke again, as the brunette climbed the steps towards the foyer and the blonde hovered uncertainly below.

"I'll see you soon?" She asked, looking up hopefully towards Rachel, who frowned down at her. "Or not?"

"You seriously expect me to let you walk home to your place, at three in the morning, after you've been drinking, alone?"

"Well…"

"Quinn Fabray." Rachel was outraged – how could Quinn think that she cared so little? Maybe she should have gone back to the blonde's place instead, but she'd walked her automatically, lost in her thoughts. "Come inside, right now."

The blonde deliberated briefly, but decided that she wasn't going to win against someone as stubborn as Rachel, and besides, she didn't really want to leave her. So she traipsed inside and followed the brunette into her apartment quietly, and they crept into Rachel's room as silently as possible, so as not to awaken a sleeping Kurt.

It took Quinn's alcohol-muddled brain a little while to figure out that it was entirely possible that Rachel would expect them to share the bed, and she was positive that she wasn't ready for that yet. While she was awake, she could (just about), control herself, but asleep? It was highly likely that she'd wake up to find herself snuggling into the brunette, and that wasn't something that she was sure was a good idea.

"So, I'll, uh, take the couch?"

"What? Don't be stupid, the bed's perfectly big enough for two."

"But I - "

"Don't argue with me, Quinn. Just change into these," she threw some sleeping shorts and a thin top in the blonde's direction, "while I go use the bathroom." She changed quickly while Rachel was gone, pulling the clothes on and noticing how they smelled like Rachel, finding comfort in them. She slipped past the brunette into the adjoining bathroom when she emerged, trying desperately not to focus on the revealing pyjama's that she wore.

When she walked back into the bedroom, Rachel was already in the bed, curled up under the covers, and Quinn flicked off the light switch before sliding in next to her, feeling the heat radiating from her and forcing herself to turn away in the hope that when she woke up she'd still be facing the same way and she'd save herself from any embarrassment.

**A/N:**

**Sorry this took a little longer than usual; it was already written but it took awhile to find the time to read it back and actually upload it! Thanks again to all you reviewers, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did writing it - definitely my favourite so far.**


	7. Chapter 7

The first time Quinn woke up, she didn't remember where she was. The room was dark, no light coming from underneath the curtains flung across the window, so she knew it was still night-time, but she had no clue whose room she was in.

The she noticed that there was an arm flung across her waist, a warm body pressed against her back, and a pair of legs tangled up with her own, and she thought that maybe this was a dream. It wouldn't be the first time she'd dreamed of waking up in Rachel's arms, after all, but her dreams had never felt so _real_.

She could feel the brunette's breath brushing the back of her neck, could smell the scent of her skin, felt the material of Rachel's shirt against the bare skin of her back, where her own shirt had risen up. It felt divine, and she didn't want to move. So she closed her eyes, matching her breathing to that of the girl that surrounded her, and let herself relax.

The second time she woke up, she was lying on her back, and Rachel was half on-top of her, arm still lying across her body, her head just under the blonde's chin. Trying to move as little as possible, Quinn's hand snaked to the bedside table where her phone lay, to check the time.

It was noon, and she had a single text message – she read Santana's name and braced herself for that was sure to be something highly inappropriate.

_I sincerely hope that you spent to night getting some with Berry. If so, congrats, and you can thank me for my awesome plan later. And if not, you suck, grow a pair and kiss her already._

_Also, you might wanna wash the sheets in the guest bedroom._

Quinn rolled her eyes as she read the text, but maybe she should be thankful that it hadn't been her own bedsheets that she needed to wash. Rachel moved slightly against her when she reached out to put the phone back where she'd found it, and she froze, hoping she hadn't woken the brunette up – she wanted to enjoy the moment for just a little while longer.

She could remember the whole of last night, thankfully, so she knew she hadn't done or said anything stupid, which was a relief. She could hear someone, hopefully Kurt, moving around outside the door, and hoped that he wouldn't come barging in here. The last thing she needed was for Kurt to see her in Rachel's bed, especially with the position they were in.

Rachel hadn't woken up, only snuggled deeper into the blonde's side, and Quinn hesitantly brought her hand up to rest of the brunette's back, trailing her fingers over the soft skin gently. She knew she shouldn't, knew that she was pushing her luck, but she couldn't help herself.

Rachel felt amazing in her arms, warm and soft and perfect. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this content – or even if she had ever felt as content as this. She wondered if she'd ever feel the same way again.

She hoped so.

But the moment couldn't last forever, and she soon noticed the brunette stirring slightly, and dropped her hand from the warm skin of her back, letting it fall onto the bed. She couldn't move anymore, she was practically pinned down to the mattress, but if it meant that she could feel Rachel's body against her own then she wouldn't complain.

When brown eyes finally opened they immediately met hazel, and Rachel blushed, realising how close she'd moved to the blonde in her sleep, shuffling hastily to the side.

"Sorry," she murmured, but Quinn just smiled, a little amused by her embarrassment.

"It's okay," she replied softly, noting that while Rachel wasn't lying on her any longer, she also hadn't removed her arm from where it lay across her hips. "You looked peaceful; I didn't want to wake you."

"That's the best sleep I've had in ages," the brunette admitted. She hadn't been woken up by Finn's stupid alarm in the early hours of the morning, and she hadn't woken up once, unlike she'd been doing the past couple of weeks when she'd been sleeping alone.

"Me too."

"What time is it?"

"Noon."

"Oh, crap."

"What?"

"It's Sunday, there's an early show on a Sunday." But Rachel didn't move yet, she was too content, too relaxed to even consider getting up yet. "I wonder why Kurt hasn't been by to wake me up yet."

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door – Rachel opened her mouth to tell Kurt to wait, just for a few more minutes, but he'd already flung the door open, stepping inside. When he noticed that Rachel wasn't alone, his eyes widened.

"Oh. Sorry. I… didn't realise you had company." His eyes zoned in on the way they were lying, half-facing each other, noted Rachel's arms around Quinn, noticed a lot of things in those few seconds. "I was making breakfast." He ran a hand through his hair, the awkward situation not lost on him. "Do you, uh, want anything Quinn?"

"Um, no, that's okay. I'll just head back to my place and get something there."

"No, stay." Rachel pouted at the blonde, and Kurt saw the affection in Quinn's eyes as she turned to look at the brunette, saw her resolution to leave waver under the persuasive diva's gaze.

"I don't want to be any trouble…"

"It's no trouble, Quinn, there's plenty enough for three." He'd actually already eaten, but there was no way he was going to give up an opportunity to observe the pairs interactions now that he'd noticed how they acted around each other. It seemed his suspicions had been right, Quinn did have feelings for Rachel - how had he not noticed it before?

"O-okay, then."

"Yay! We'll get changed and be out in a second." Kurt shut the door behind him, a little bit stunned. But it all made sense now, he realised. Everything, every little thing that the blonde had done recently, and, he thought, thinking back, every little thing that she'd done in the past.

He wasn't sure if he liked his new perspective much. But it would certainly make his life more interesting, and there was one very important question that he wanted to know the answer to – did Rachel feel the same way about Quinn?

x-x-x

Breakfast with Kurt and Rachel had been extremely awkward, and Quinn was glad when she could take her leave. Kurt had been eyeing her strangely the whole time they'd been eating, and there was something that she didn't think she liked in his gaze. It made her feel like he knew a secret about her and was figuring out the best way to use it.

Her apartment was empty when she arrived back at it, and she found a note taped to the fridge informing her that Santana and Brittany had gone shopping for a couple of hours. She appreciated the opportunity for solitude, having not had a moment to herself in her new place yet.

She traipsed into her bedroom, deciding that now was as good a time as any to re-start the business of unpacking. The kitchen and bathroom were both done, as was the main furniture in each of the rooms, but there were still boxes to unpack, things to put away.

It was tedious work, but it needed to be done. When Santana and Brittany returned two hours later, she was mostly done, to her relief.

"Q, you back?" She emerged from her bedroom to see the pair stood by the front door, holding a box of what Quinn really hoped was donuts. It was a tradition that on Sundays they sat and watched movies for most of the evening or afternoon, eating junk food. She was going to miss doing that, but maybe it was time for new traditions.

"Yeah, I'm here." Santana gave her a once-over, and if the Latina noticed that Quinn was wearing Rachel's clothes, she didn't comment on it. She hadn't been prepared to walk back to her apartment in the dress from last night, and Rachel handed over a pair of jeans that just about fit the blonde as well as a t-shirt without even being asked.

"Have fun last night?"

"Apparently not as much as you two." They all collapsed onto the couch as Brittany chose a movie, and Santana smirked at Quinn's comment, offering her the box.

"I assume that means you didn't spend the night having hot, dirty sex with Berry?"

"You assume correctly," she replied, taking a bit of a chocolate-covered donut and deciding that New York donuts were definitely better than the ones in LA. "Your plan didn't work."

"It did! She was totally turned on when she was sat on you." Quinn shook her head in exasperation. "She was. And she was definitely jealous when that chick grabbed you."

"She was just being protective."

"Read: jealous."

"Whatever, San."

"She's not going to make the first move, you know. If you want her, you're going to have to do something about it."

"And I will. When the timing's right."

"And when will that be? Q, if you waste time waiting for the moment to be perfect, then you'll spend your whole life that way, always waiting. She could meet someone, any place, any time, and she'll go for it if she likes them because she thinks she has absolutely zero chance with you. Just… don't wait forever, Q. You can't live like that."

She pondered her friend's words as the movie started, knowing in her heart that she was right, but it terrified her – if she did it, if she took the plunge, she would either get everything she'd ever wanted, or she risked losing her, forever.

"How did you know?" She asked eventually, her voice quiet, and both Santana and Brittany turned to look at her curiously. "How did you know when it was the right time to tell Britt how you felt?"

"I didn't. I didn't know, I just knew that I couldn't hide it anymore. It was killing me, not being able to be honest with my best friend, wishing that we could be more. So I just… did it. And it worked out."

"But it might not have done."

"Q," Santana sighed, sympathy flashing in her eyes. "You never know until you do it, okay? I honestly think that you have a shot, I honestly, honestly do. I've seen the way she looks at you sometimes, now and back in high school, and I'm sure that there's something there, that she feels something for you, too. Do you really think I would be encouraging you to go for it if you thought you'd get your heart broken?"

"What about when you told me to move on?"

"Things were different then, she was engaged, to a guy, for God's sake. But now… Now she's not. And now I know that you aren't going to get over her. It's been eight years, Q, and you're still smitten. So… I think it's time for you to find out, once and for all."

"She just broke up with Finn, though."

"Then wait for a while, if you want to. Try and figure out how she feels about you. But jesus, Quinn – do not let her slip through your fingers again, okay? Because if you do I will kick your ass, I swear."

"You wouldn't."

"Oh, I would. But let's not find out, yeah?"

"Okay," the blonde agreed with a smile, turning her attention back to the TV screen, but she wasn't concentrating on it. Her mind was a million miles away, wondering if she could do it, if she could admit to Rachel how she felt. It seemed almost impossible, after so long, but maybe Santana was right, maybe this was her second chance, an opportunity to do things right.

"Are you even watching the movie, Quinn? I put it on especially for you." Quinn snapped out of her thoughts to see Brittany pouting at her from across the room, and she felt bad immediately.

"I'm sorry, Britt, I was just thinking. And I already know what happens; I've seen it so many times." The other blonde didn't seem convinced, but she turned away and Quinn tried to focus on the musical, she really did, but her mind kept straying back to that morning, of what it would be like to wake up to Rachel every single morning.

But she was getting way ahead of herself. First, she needed to figure out if Rachel felt the same way. Then she actually needed to build up the courage to tell her how she felt herself, and then, then she could think about what it'd be like to be in a relationship with her.

But only then.

And until that time came, she'd have to try and kept her thoughts from straying if she didn't want to do something stupid like kiss her prematurely. Which should be easy - or it would be if she didn't have to see the brunette regularly. Because she was fairly sure that as soon as she saw Rachel that all thoughts of keeping her hands firmly to herself would fly from her head – and unfortunately, most of her plan depended on spending a lot of time with the brunette.

Maybe it wouldn't be so easy after all.

x-x-x

Rachel was quickly getting used to coming home to an empty apartment. She was exhausted from that afternoon, and collapsed immediately on the couch, unsure if she could make it to her room without falling over.

She sipped from a bottle of water as she scanned through the TV channels, trying to find something to watch. She eventually settled on a stupid romantic comedy that would at least keep her mind busy.

The shows had gone well, obviously, because she was Rachel Berry, but all day she'd found her mind going back to that morning, and waking up half on-top of Quinn. She'd been mortified, but the blonde had shaken it off, and she didn't know if that was good or not. She didn't want Quinn to think that she was interested in her, because she wasn't.

Was she?

She sighed, trying to concentrate on the movie but failing miserably. Damn Brittany, she thought, having decided that afternoon that she was the one that had started this whole ridiculous path of thinking with her comment about her and Quinn making an attractive couple.

She was sure that it was just a throwaway comment that the blonde hadn't meant anything by, but it had playing on Rachel's mind all day. It was stupid to think, to wonder, but she just couldn't help it.

Sure, she thought the blonde was attractive, and yes she'd been bothered when that other woman had touched her last night, but that didn't mean that she liked her. Did it? No, surely that wasn't evidence enough. Surely, surely it just meant something else.

She wished now more than ever that she'd had a staple female best friend in her life before now. Even in college, she'd gotten along better with guys, though she hadn't really made good enough friends during her time at NYADA to keep in contact with them after they'd graduation. She'd been too focused on her education while she'd been there, wanting to get everything she possibly could out of her time. And it had worked, too, judging from where she was at now, already, so early on in her career.

So she had nothing to base her interactions with Quinn on. She had absolutely no idea whether anything she felt was normal, because she'd managed to isolate all the possible girl friends that she could have had.

Maybe she should bring it up to Kurt; maybe he'd know what to do. But at the same time, the thought made her cringe. She knew how much he disliked the blonde, and after her treatment of Rachel in high school, what would he think if she turned around and said that she might have feelings for her?

No, she couldn't tell Kurt, not now, not yet. And there wasn't really anyone else she trusted enough, so she'd just have to keep it to herself for now, until she figured her thoughts out properly. And to do that, she'd need to talk to Quinn. See her in the flesh, preferably, to see how she felt when they were face-to-face.

Yes, that made sense, all she had to do was call the blonde and ask her when she was free that week. She fished her phone out of her pocket and called the now-familiar number, praying the she wasn't asleep.

"Hello?" She answered on the fifth ring, sounded tired but not as though she'd just woken up, and Rachel smiled at the sound of the blonde's voice, without even realising.

"Hey."

"Got anything else to say, Rach? Just hey? That all you're giving me?"

"Why did you treat me the way you did in high school?" It wasn't what she had meant to say, wasn't even close, but apparently her earlier line of thinking had led her to the question. She heard Quinn's breath hitch on the other end of the phone, and hoped that she hadn't scared the blonde away. That was the last thing she wanted.

"I… Why?"

"I just want to know. I want to know why. I want to know everything." She could practically hear the wheels turning in the blonde's head as she pondered Rachel's words, and the brunette could hardly breathe, wondering why she was pushing this – she should have just apologised for the inappropriate question and moved on.

But no, she'd pushed through, and now it was entirely possible that Quinn would never want to talk to her ever again. On the other hand, she could answer her honestly, and then she'd know. She'd know why she'd been singled out in high school, been slushied every day for years, been continually torn down.

She realised, then, that she'd downplayed her high school experience for a long time, accepting what it was, but really, it was bullying, plain and simple. It hadn't affected her too much in the long run, which is why she hadn't dwelled on it.

But she was kind of curious, what could cause the blonde to go from hating her guts to acting so unquestionably nice to her, becoming sort-of-friends towards the end of high school and now becoming real friends.

So yeah, she was curious. Especially because the blonde still hadn't answered. She could still hear Quinn's breathing through the phone, though, so she knew that she hadn't been hung up on. "Quinn?"

"I… I'm sorry. For everything I did, I was an idiot and I was stupid and I didn't understand and I, god, I took it all out on you because - " she took a deep breath, cutting herself off mid-sentence and Rachel cursed inwardly, knowing that if she'd carried on her she might have learnt something. "I'll tell you a thousand times how sorry I am and it'll never be enough."

She could hear raw anguish in the blonde's voice, and it shook her, right to the very core. She'd never heard someone sound so agonised, so hurt, and she longed to comfort Quinn, wished more than anything that she could be there, but she wasn't, she was here, and even though they were only a few blocks apart it felt like miles.

"But I asked why."

"I know you did, Rach, but I… I don't think that I want to explain that on the phone." Quinn's voice was quiet, and she swore that in the brief silence before she answered that she heard a sniffle, as though the blonde was crying.

"Then explain it to me somewhere else. I don't blame you for anything that happened in our past, Quinn, because look at where I am now. You helped with that, you helped me get where I am today, whether you want to believe that or not. So, I don't blame you or resent you or think anything bad about you, because I know there was a reason. I know that you wouldn't have done the things you did without a reason because I know you, and I know that you don't do anything without a reason. I just want to know why. I need to know why."

"Why now?"

"Because…" She trailed off, thinking. It was a good question, because up until this evening, she hadn't really cared, she'd just brushed it off, thinking that the past was the past. But if she was going to put herself, her feelings out there, think about the blonde the way she thought she wanted to… well, then she needed to know why so it didn't come back to haunt them. She needed everything out on the table. "I just do, okay?"

"Okay," Quinn sighed, and Rachel wondered if that meant that she was going to get her answers, after all. "Okay. Tomorrow's your day off, right? Well, do you want to come over here for dinner? I'll cook something, and we can talk as much as you want."

"Okay. What time?"

"Eight? That'll give me enough time to go with San and Britt to the airport and still have enough time to cook."

"Alright, I'll see you then. And Quinn?"

"Yeah?"

"I had a good time last night."

"Yeah, me too. See you, Rach." She hung up, almost reluctantly, and wondered what she had gotten herself into tomorrow night. It was sure to be interesting, at least. Kurt strolled through the front door, then, giving her a curious look as he threw himself down next to her.

"You look like you're thinking hard about something."

"Mm, not really."

"If you say so." He settled himself down next to her on the couch, stealing the water bottle and sipping from it as he watched her out of the corner of his eye. She could feel his gaze, but she didn't comment on it, not yet.

"Have a good rehearsal?"

"It was alright. How 'bout you? Survived your busy day?"

"Just about," she sighed, unable to stop a yawn. He grinned and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"So…" He trailed off, and she turned her head to look at him, wondering what was on his mind. "Quinn spent the night, huh?" She stiffened slightly, not expecting the conversation to go this way at all, and not entirely sure where they were going to end up.

"…Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I wasn't going to let her walk home alone in the early hours of the morning."

"Okay, but…"

"But?"

"Well, you were pretty snuggled up when I walked in this morning." She felt herself flush, heat rushing to her cheeks, and looked away from Kurt hastily. "Did something happen between you two?"

"What? No! Don't be ridiculous." It was almost the exact same thing she'd said to Brittany, and she could scarcely believe that she was having such a similar conversation so close together. And yet… was there a reason that it had been brought up twice? Was her confusion over the way he felt about the blonde really so obvious to everyone?

"Why's it ridiculous?"

"It just… is! We're friends. That's all, and that's all we ever will be. I don't… I don't feel anything for her." She knew she didn't sound convincing, knew that her voice wavered, knew that Kurt didn't believe a word she said.

"Uh-huh."

"I don't! I just broke up with Finn, it's far too soon for me to even be thinking about being with someone else."

"I agree."

"You do?"

"Yeah. You were with Finn for years; I don't think it'd be right if you threw yourself into another relationship straight away. You need to date, get yourself out there a little bit before you settle down. Live life on the edge." He winked and she rolled her eyes, deciding that that was just as ridiculous as the thought that there was something going on between her and Quinn.

"You know I'm never going to do that."

"Why not? I think you should. Loosen up a bit."

"Kurt Hummel, are you suggesting that I'm highly strung? I am offended." Mock horror made her feel more comfortable than the other topics they'd been discussing, and if he noticed her changing the subject he didn't comment on it.

"You already know that I think you're highly strung. And on that note, before you kill me, I'm going to head to bed because I'm exhausted. Do you want to eat together tomorrow? I'll make you something nice?"

"Uh… I actually already have plans tomorrow."

"Oh?"

"I'm eating with Quinn."

"I'm glad you added with to that sentence." She gasped, eyes widening, and Kurt grinned even as she reached out to smack him on the back of the head.

"Don't be so… vulgar."

"Alright, alright. But don't act like you weren't thinking about it." With that he turned and skipped from the room, his bedroom door closing behind with a definitive click. Rachel was left on the couch, stunned, mouth slightly agape.

Eventually she pulled herself together enough to make her way to her own bedroom, mind still working over Kurt's comment. Was he just messing with her, or did he actually think she had feelings for Quinn?

And, perhaps most importantly of all, _did_ she?


	8. Chapter 8

Quinn glanced at the clock for what felt like the fiftieth time, swearing that it wasn't working, because surely it had been longer than a minute since she'd last looked. She didn't expect Rachel to be anything less than on time, but she wished that just this once she could be early – perhaps it would calm her nerves if the brunette was here, with her, already.

She'd been running through what she wanted to say all day, wondering what was too much, what wouldn't be enough, and then, torturously going through all the possible reactions that Rachel could have to the story she had to tell. They ranged from her being stunned and unable to form a suitable response, to her storming out and never speaking to the blonde again.

She'd barely been able to sleep last night, and it showed on her face – there were bags under her eyes, just about visible under the make-up she'd put on in an effort to cover them up. She'd been unsure what attire would be suitable for her to wear, and had eventually settled on black jeans and a white button-up shirt, which she thought was much better than Santana's suggestion of opening the door in nothing but her underwear.

She was pretty sure that that would lead to the brunette not even entering her apartment.

She'd waved Santana and Brittany off that afternoon, hugging them goodbye in the airport with the promise to call them regularly, and to come back to LA to see them soon. It had been hard, seeing them go - they'd been the only constants in her life for a long time, always nearby when she needed them, and now… Now she felt more alone and isolated for the first time in a long while.

But maybe not completely alone, she mused as there was a knock on her door. She sprang to her feet, noting with a wry shake of her head that it was exactly eight o' clock, and moved across to the door, pulling it open and greeting the brunette on the other side with a smile.

"Hey," she murmured, eyeing the deep red sweaterdress that Rachel was wearing, glad when she spotted the bottle of white wine clutched in her hands. She'd probably need some liquid encouragement before the night ended.

She stepped aside to let the brunette pass, watching her glance around the apartment, surprise evident on her face – Quinn had been busy putting Britt and Santana to work before they'd left, and now it was almost impossible to tell that she'd only moved in two days ago.

"Colour me impressed," Rachel said as she strode forward, putting the wine bottle onto the marble breakfast bar that separated living room and kitchen, and was also the closet thing Quinn currently had to a dining room table. "What's in the pan?"

"It's a surprise," Quinn said, reaching out for the brunette's arm as she tried to investigate. "Ah, ah, ah. No peeking." Rachel turned with a pout, and Quinn grinned, ignoring the heat that she felt simply from touching the diva.

"But that's no fair."

"I never said that I played fair." She slipped past the brunette and into the kitchen easily, stirring the food with a wooden spoon. She felt, rather than heard, Rachel move to stand behind her and she whirled around, hands going to her waist and walking her backwards. "Is it really so difficult for you to follow orders?"

"Apparently." Rachel's voice was low, and it didn't escape Quinn's notice. She could feel the brunette's hipbones under her fingertips, all sharp edges, and her mind fled, unbidden, to the thought of what it would feel like to have those hips pressed tight against her own, bucking underneath her hands. "Quinn?"

Rachel's voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she flushed, looking away from curious brown eyes and praying that her own hadn't darkened in response to her thoughts. _Get it together, Fabray, you can do this._

"Sit," she managed to say despite her mouth becoming incredibly dry all of a sudden, and patted one of the chairs that sat against the breakfast bar. "And stay." But the brunette didn't move, just folded her arms across her chest and glared up at the blonde, who felt her lips quirk up in amusement. "What?"

"I want to know what it is."

"Well you'll find out when you eat it in about twenty minutes."

"But I want to know now. I don't like surprises."

"Did you just stamp your foot? Seriously, Rach?" Quinn hadn't thought it was possible, but the brunette's eyes narrowed even further, and she bit her lip in an attempt not to laugh. "Please sit down."

"Or what?" There was a clear challenge in her eyes, and Quinn licked her lips without even thinking about it, noticing Rachel's eyes dart down to catch the movement. The blonde gulped, suddenly not trusting herself alone when she was stood so close to the brunette, especially when one of her hands still rested lightly in her hip.

"Trust me when I say that you don't want to know," she breathed, taking a step back before she did something stupid. She patted the chair again. "Sit."

With a huff Rachel finally did as she was told, and Quinn breathed a little more easily, turning back to the stove. She slid two wine glasses out of one of the cupboards and shoved them onto the tabletop behind her, with a murmured "help yourself", to the brunette.

"What have you done today?"

"Not much, just hung out with Brittany and Santana before they left. How about you?"

"I was mostly catching up on sleep, to be honest."

"Long week?"

"Always is. Not that I'm complaining, I love it, it's everything I dreamed I always wanted, it's just… hard sometimes. I never thought it would be, I just naively assumed that it would be easy."

"Things are rarely easy."

"What about you? Ready to start your fancy new job?"

"Not even remotely." And it was true, too. She still didn't feel like she'd earned this, didn't feel good enough to be here, to be working for such a prestigious company. But hell if she was going to complain, she wasn't stupid, she knew that this was the opportunity of a lifetime. That didn't mean that she wasn't scared out of her mind, though.

"Oh, you'll be fine. From what I read, you're a pretty amazing writer."

"I just had good inspiration." She turned with a shy smile, and Rachel blushed, colour flooding her cheeks as she looked away, giving Quinn the opportunity to study her. Her eyes trailed over her skin, admiring the way her dress clung to her skin, and the way it sat off her shoulders, revealing that unless it was strapless, she wasn't wearing a bra.

"Do you always shower girls with compliments when you get them alone in your apartment?"

"Mm, whatever works." She waited until Rachel's eyes lifted to meet hers and winked, which caused another blush. Enjoying herself a little too much, Quinn turned back, deciding that the food looked ready enough. "Okay, confession: I've never actually cooked this before, so if it's terrible you have to tell me."

"But what is it?" Rachel asked, trying to peer around the blonde's body as she set out two plates.

"Are you always so insatiably curious?"

"No. Just insatiable." Quinn froze at the flirtatious comment, glad that her back was to the brunette so that she wouldn't see her eyes flicker shut as her mind was assaulted with fantasies of how she could find out just how insatiable the brunette really was.

"Good to know," she murmured, turning around and placing a plate of homemade vegetable curry in front of the brunette, unable to keep her voice from turning slightly husky. They should have gone somewhere public – being alone with Rachel was turning torturous, especially with so much tension in the room.

"Is it spicy?" Rachel asked slightly apprehensively, and Quinn laughed at the unsure expression on her face.

"No, I know you don't like hot food." It slipped out without her even thinking, she was so used to remembering every little detail about Rachel that she hadn't even thought to censor herself. The brunette looked at the blonde curiously, across the marble that separated them, her eyes confused.

"How do you know that?"

"I… I remember. You've told me before."

"Not recently."

"Really? I thought you had."

"No. And that's a lie. You know I haven't told you recently, why would I have had a reason to?"

"Fine. I remember because after we won Nationals we went out for that celebratory meal and when Finn suggested an Indian restaurant you nearly had a heart attack."

"You… You remembered that?" There was a look of astonishment on Rachel's face, one that made Quinn feel extremely uncomfortable. She shifted nervously, eyes dropping downwards and grabbing the wine glass that Rachel had filled for her, gulping almost half of it down in one go.

"I remember a lot of things about you," she murmured, deciding that honestly was the best policy – after all, she had promised that Rachel would get some answers tonight. She received no answer other than a curious stare, before Rachel decided that food was the more pressing issue and took her first bite gingerly.

"Ohmygod this is amazing. I didn't know you could cook."

"I feel like I should be offended."

"Nah," the brunette was grinning, and Quinn returned the smile, glad that they'd eased on to easier topics. For now. They remained quiet while they ate, apart from Rachel's occasional praising comments, and when they were done Quinn shoved the dishes into the dishwasher before leading the brunette over to the couch, curling up with her wine glass and motioning for Rachel to do the same.

They sat close together, and Quinn wondered if it was intentional or not, but decided not to read into things too much. She found a random film on the TV and settled back, wondering at how she managed to be tired even though she'd barely done anything that day.

"What time are you working tomorrow?" She asked, just to break the silence that had fallen between them.

"Usual, about five 'til eleven. What are you doing with your free day?"

"Uhhhh, nothing?"

"Lazy."

"Nu-uh."

"Yu-huh. Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazy."

"How much of that wine have you had?" Quinn teased, and the brunette rolled her eyes, gesturing towards the bottle.

"Not a lot, seeing as there's still like half the bottle there."

"Well maybe you should slow down anyway." She put her own glass down on the coffee table, not wanting to drink too much that night. Figuring that there was no time like the present to delve into uncomfortable topics, she cleared her throat. "You wanted to come over here for a reason, Rach. So… what do you want to know?"

The question seemed to sober the brunette up, and she straightened, biting her bottom lip as she pondered her answer. Quinn waited; tense, for what felt like hours until Rachel finally answered. "I just wanted to know what changed. Why you went from hating my guts to wanting to be my friend."

"I never hated you," her voice was forceful, her jaw clenching, angry with herself for her own past stupidity. "Please believe that. I… I never hated. I could never hate you."

"But then why…"

"I was scared. And I was confused. High school was… it was an awful time for me. I had to go through being pregnant, and then giving Beth up, and then… Then I started having all these feelings that I didn't understand, but that I knew that I shouldn't be having."

"Feelings like?"

"Feelings for you." She lifted her eyes from where they'd been fixed on the floor, hazel meeting brown, seeing the shock and surprise in Rachel's eyes, knowing that her own shone with sincerity, refusing to let the brunette think that she didn't mean every word she said.

"I-I don't understand."

"I think you do," Quinn whispered, tearing her eyes away, not entirely sure that she wanted to see the brunette's thoughts reflected in her eyes, not now, not like this. She wasn't ready. She'd never thought that she'd be here, telling her this, and her heart was hammering in her chest, her mind screaming at her to shut up, to stop talking, to get out of there before she said something that would send Rachel running.

"You… had feelings for me."

"Yes." She felt no need to correct the past tense to present tense, no need to confuse their situation even more. "I did. You were… amazing in high school, and you never even knew it. Finn never knew how lucky he was."

"I thought you said that you didn't start accepting your sexuality until later?"

"I didn't. That's why I was so horrible to you. I didn't understand what I was feeling; I thought it was just jealously. It wasn't until later that I realised… that was when I started to try and patch things up, because I hated how I'd hurt you. I knew I couldn't make it up to you, but I thought if I stopped being a bitch then maybe it'd stop me hating myself so much."

A single tear escape her eye and ran down her cheek, and she reached to wipe it hastily away. She wouldn't cry, she wouldn't be weak, she had to accept the mistakes that she'd made in her past, had to try and make them right, and maybe she'd never be able to, but she was sure as hell going to try.

"Oh, Quinn," Rachel murmured, and then arms had been thrown around her neck and Rachel was hugging her, and she didn't understand. Of all the possible reactions that she had imaging from Rachel that night, her hugging her and trying to comfort her wasn't on that list. "I can't imagine what that must have been like for you."

Rachel's mouth was right by her ear, and she shivered as hot breath hit her neck, unable to stop her arms sliding around Rachel's tiny waist, pulling her even closer. More tears slipped from her eyes, and she tried to pull away, not wanting to ruin the brunette's dress, but her arms were locked securely around the blonde's neck, not allowing her to move an inch.

"I should be the one comforting you, not the other way around," Quinn murmured against Rachel's neck, inhaling the perfume she must've put on before leaving that evening.

"I'm not the one crying," came the reply, and Rachel's arms tightened, until she was practically sat in Quinn's lap, not that the blonde was complaining. "I'm sorry you had to go through that alone."

"I survived."

"Not without baggage." Her fingers played absentmindedly with Quinn's hair, and the blonde's eyes fluttered closed, biting her lip hard so that she didn't accidentally moan –because in such close quarters there was no way that the brunette wouldn't hear it.

In response she let her fingertips trail gently across Rachel's back, revelling in the way her breath hitched. "Mm, after being on stage for so long every day you have no idea how good that feels," she breathed against the blonde's neck, and Quinn pressed harder in response, rewarded with a soft moan against her skin.

Quinn could scarcely breathe, knowing that she'd be replaying that noise every night for a long time, doubting that she'd ever here such a perfect sound again. Well, unless… but no, she forced her mind away from the thought of Rachel, naked and in her bed, because she was fairly sure that with when they were in such an intimate position that thoughts like that would lead down a dangerous path.

"You have magic hands," was the next thing out of Rachel's mouth, her voice slightly breathless, and Quinn let out a throaty laugh, unable to help herself. She bit back a comment that could get her slapped and instead brought her hands to a standstill, wrapping them around the brunette's back instead and hugging her tightly.

"Thank you," she murmured, mouth still pressed against that divine neck. She wanted to kiss the brunette's skin, badly, but she didn't want to risk sending her running, not when they'd progressed so much that night.

"For what?" Rachel pulled back slightly to look the blonde in the eyes, but didn't drop her arms from around Quinn's neck, didn't stop playing with strands of blonde hair.

"For not freaking out when I told you the truth." Quinn's voice was quiet, almost as though she feared that speaking too loudly would shattered the moment. Every single time they'd been in a position like this, faces close together, lips inches apart, hands on each other, they'd always been interrupted.

But now…. Now there was no-one to walk in. There was no-one to interrupt them, no-one to walk through the door and make them spring guiltily apart. So what now? Quinn wanted to kiss her, so badly that she wasn't entirely sure how she was able to resist the urge. She could feel Rachel's breath on her lips, she that her eyes had darkened, and she was pretty sure that if she closed the distance between them that the brunette wouldn't pull away.

But at the same time, something was holding her back. She didn't want to rush blindly into this, didn't want to kiss her with light intentions. She wanted this woman, had wanted her for years, and if she wanted the moment that they kissed to be perfect, wanted it to be the start of what she hoped would be the last relationship that she ever embarked upon.

"Why would I freak out?"

"Because I just told you that I had feelings for you."

"That's not really freak-out-worthy though." They were still in the same position, and Quinn had the impression that they were on a precipice, and sooner rather than later they were going to tilt one way or the other.

A buzzing against the blonde's leg caused both of them to look down at Quinn's pocket. Rachel fished the phone out of her pocket with deft fingers, the blonde's eyes closing as her fingers brushed dangerously close the apex of her thighs.

"It's Santana," Rachel murmured, handing the phone over, and Quinn said a silent prayer – she wasn't prepared to kiss Rachel yet, still thought it was too soon, but now, after tonight, she was fairly sure that when she did make a move, that there wouldn't be too much resistance.

"I should answer that, I'm sorry." Rachel nodded and lent back, moving over to the other end of the couch. Quinn stood, suddenly feeling the need to stretch her legs, and moved over to the giant window as she answered the phone. "Hey, S."

"_How'd it go_?" Of course that would be the first thing from Santana's lips, the only thing that she was interested in hearing about. Quinn rolled her eyes.

"Not finished yet, and fine."

"_Not finished yet? So does that mean that she's tied up naked in your bed?"_

"Oh my god, S, no. Do you have to make everything dirty?"

_"It's what I do."_

"I'm hanging up now."

_"You're no fun."_

"I'm plenty of fun, thank you very much. I'll call you tomorrow."

_"With details?"_

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Bye, S." She hung up on a laughing Santana, turned to see Rachel regarding her with one eyebrow raised, wine glass once again back in her hand.

"Plenty of fun, hm? And what was dirty?"

"Nothing that you want to know, I assure you. I'm just gonna go to the bathroom." Rachel nodded and Quinn slipped away, into the privacy of her own room and heading into the en-suite bathroom.

She glanced in the mirror, unsurprised to see how dark her eyes had become, but marvelling at how just giving Rachel a not-even massage could turn her on so much, not even wanting to contemplate what would happen if things ever went further.

She sighed, splashing water on her face in an effort to calm her racing heart down, but it was fairly ineffective. Wondering how long she could get away with staying in the bathroom for, she decided she could spare a few minutes to try and calm herself down – and vowing that when did go back out there, touching the other woman was probably a really, really bad idea.

x-x-x

Rachel glanced anxiously at Quinn's closed bedroom door, wondering what was taking her so long. She was worried that she'd done something to offend the blonde, though she couldn't think what.

Then again, she was fairly sure that if Santana's phonecall hadn't broken the spell they'd been under, that they would have ended up making out on Quinn's couch, and hell, maybe even more would have happened.

She certainly wouldn't have objected – having the blonde's lips so close to her own was tantalising, and it was getting harder and harder to think with her so close. It was probably for the best that they'd broken apart though – she wasn't sure was ready just yet to give herself to Quinn,

And she knew that that was what she would be doing. A lot of things had clicked into place when she'd learnt why Quinn had been the way she'd been in high school. She understood more now, could see things that had happened between them in a different perspective.

She also hadn't missed how the blonde hadn't expressly stated that everything was in the past. Judging from her behaviour from the few meetings they'd had over the last week, she was fairly certain that Quinn still had feelings for her.

She couldn't imagine what it must be like for the blonde, to have felt this way about her so long, having to see her with Finn. It made sense now, why she'd stopped returning her phonecalls and her texts and her emails in college – it was because of Finn. She'd gotten back together with Finn at around the same time they'd stopped talking, and she dreaded to think how that had made Quinn feel. Felt terrible that she had been responsible for making her feel like that, even if it had been wholly unintentional.

She remembered what Kurt had said to her last night, about her never really having been single for very long, the unspoken implication that she might regret it later on in life. And she came to a quick decision, then – she knew that she felt something for Quinn, knew that she wanted to kiss her, wanted to see what would become of them, but before she could do that, before she could give herself to the blonde, she had to be sure.

Quinn emerged from her bedroom them, effectively cutting off her trail of thought. She flashed her a quick smile, settling back against the arm of the couch – she couldn't deal with being so close to the blonde when she was trying to figure things out, and she was still a little mortified that she'd actually moaned just from the feeling of Quinn's hands across her back. She knew that she must've have heard her, but was grateful that the blonde hadn't commented on it.

Quinn chose the opposite arm of the couch to curl up against, watching Rachel's face curiously, and she wondered what the blonde as seeing there. Could she sense her trail of thoughts? Or was she just wondering what to say next without making things awkward?

"I should probably get going soon," Rachel eventually said, breaking the silence after a quick glance at the clock told her that it was nearing midnight. She'd been trying to time things so that Kurt wouldn't be awake when she got back – she wasn't ready for an interrogation of this evening, not yet. Not until she'd had enough time to think it all through herself.

"Will you be okay walking back on your own?" Quinn frowned, concern flashing over her face, and the brunette's heart warmed, unused to having someone care so obviously about her welfare.

"I'll be fine, Quinn, I walk home from the theatre every night."

"Yeah, but… You wouldn't let me walk back last weekend, figured I should extend the same courtesy."

"Ah, but you're not a New York local yet, wouldn't want you getting lost," she teased.

"It was like, a two block walk, Rach, even if I had got lost I'm sure I'd have found my way back anyway. I think you just wanted to get me into your bed without having to ask." Quinn's eyes twinkled with amusement, her tone light, and Rachel's mouth fell open slightly in shock – she hadn't expected the blonde to be so openly flirtatious, though, thinking back, she had been a little in their last few meetings.

"Damn, you caught me. I had ulterior motives all along." Quinn smirked, and Rachel looked away before she ended up pouncing on the blonde across the few feet that separated them. She'd never seen Quinn Fabray look like that before, flirty, smirking, open and… well, sexy. And she was finding it incredibly hard to resist.

"I knew it. But next time, Rach? Just ask." The brunette's eyes snapped back to the blonde's hazel ones, feeling her mouth grow dry at the smouldering expression she found, wondering how she'd never noticed how drop-dead gorgeous Quinn was, especially when she looked like that.

Again, she looked hastily away, not trusting herself to be able to keep away, and her eyes found the clock yet again – ah, there was her excuse to get away. "I'll keep that in mind. And on that note, I should go."

"Okay," Quinn sighed in mock defeat, sliding gracefully to her feet and extending a hand to where the brunette sat. Rachel took it, and Quinn pulled her easily to her feet, fingers warm against her skin, and she hoped that the blonde couldn't feel how rapidly her pulse was beating under her touch. "But be careful. And text me when you get home."

"I will," she replied, letting the blonde pull her towards the door, their hands still intertwined. She opened the door, and Rachel couldn't help absently thinking that this would be the time to kiss goodnight, but she shook the thought away before she slipped up in her carefully (not really) well thought out plan.

Instead, she settled for leaning up and brushing a soft kiss against the blonde's cheek, feeling her sharp intake of breath, lingering for just a few seconds before she turned away, reaching up with the hand that Quinn didn't hold to move her fingers against the spot she'd just kissed, trailing them down the side of the blonde's face. "Night, Quinn. I'll see you soon."

She turned and left, extricating her hand from the blonde's grasp quickly, before her resolve wavered and she threw the blonde against the door, like she wanted to. But there would be time for that later, time for a lot of things later, things that she refused to let her mind dwell on just in-case she ended up turning back around.

The walk back to hers and Kurt's place was a blur, her feet carrying her there on autopilot, allowing her mind to stray, replaying the night's conversations, the anguish in the blonde's voice as she'd explained, the way her eyes had darkened just before Santana's phonecall had interrupted what would have possibly been their first kiss.

Kurt was up when she got back, lounging on the couch and very obviously waiting up for her. He took one look at her face, which was probably still contemplative. "Tell me_ everything_."

**Happy holidays, everyone! Thank you for sticking with this story, I promise the Faberry relationship with start picking up very soon ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

"If you'd have told me during our freshman year that you and Quinn Fabray would end up in a relationship I don't think that I'd have been able to stop laughing for at least a week." Kurt had listened with rapt attention as Rachel had recounted the events of that night and indeed, the other encounters she and Quinn had shared over the last few weeks.

"Ha ha." Rachel said dryly, ignoring Kurt's look of glee. "And we're not in a relationship."

"No, but you want to be."

"I don't know what I want."

"But I thought you just said - "

"That I need to know for sure before I do anything – that doesn't mean that I know what to do." Rachel sighed heavily and Kurt pulled her into a hug. She rested her head on his shoulder, feeling no less conflicted than she had when she'd stepped inside the apartment that night – she'd hoped talking to Kurt more would have helped, but apparently not. Not yet.

"But you like her." It wasn't a question; it was a statement, and they both knew the truth in those words.

"Apparently so."

"Do you think you liked her back in high school?" Kurt's voice was curious, and it made her curious too; she hadn't really thought about the past much.

"I don't know. Maybe? I guess I always looked out for her, I always wanted to be her friend, but… I was with Finn."

"And so was she, once upon a time." Kurt snickered then, and Rachel turned her head to face him, raising a questioning eyebrow. "Sorry, it's just that, well, Quinn's gay and she used to date him, Santana slept with him and now she's gay too, and you now like Quinn. So it seems that Finn has extremely limited luck with the ladies." They both shared a grin at that, the mention of Rachel's ex not hurting her quite as much as usual.

"Do you think it's too soon for me to be focused on someone else?"

"Honestly? No, I don't think so. Your relationship with Finn wasn't good for a long while before you officially broke up; if your feelings for him were lessening during that whole time then it's almost like you broke up months ago. And then if you really did have repressed feelings for Quinn all that time ago, then it's not really like it's someone new…"

"You really think I was repressed? And what about what you said yesterday? About playing the field?"

"I don't know, Rach, only you can know that. As for what I said yesterday... well, I didn't want you to rush into anything. And then I didn't know you felt so strongly about her. Why don't you think about it a little more? I can tell this is all new to you; you need time to figure it all out. And considering you have work early tomorrow, you should probably head to bed soon because it's nearly three."

"Oh, shit." It was the first time Rachel had noticed the time since she'd gotten back from Quinn's, and she cursed herself for not keeping an eye on it – she was going to look like hell in the morning. "How am I supposed she sleep now?" She let out a frustrated groan and Kurt hugged her tighter, kissing her on the forehead lightly.

"I'm sure you'll manage, you must be tired. Try not to think too much, there'll be plenty of time tomorrow."

"Easier said than done," she muttered as she stood and stretched, letting out a sigh of contentment as her joints popped. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll have coffee ready in the morning!" She smiled softly as she shut the door of her bedroom, knowing how lucky she was to have someone like Kurt in her life. She didn't know where she'd be without him after everything that had happened recently.

She collapsed straight onto the bed without turning the light off, realising belatedly that she should have taken her dress off first. With some skilful manoeuvring she managed to take it off without standing, and it was only then that she remembered that she hadn't checked her phone since she'd gotten back home.

The red light was blinking in her purse, and she fished it out to see a missed call and two messages, and she felt inexplicable butterflies as she read who they were all from: Quinn.

_Hey, Rach, I just wanted to check that you got home safely. I'm glad we talked tonight, I feel better with everything out in the open. Good luck for your shows tomorrow (not that you need it), and I'll hopefully see you soon? Night xx_

The second was sent an hour and a half later:

_Hey, I'm sorry to bother you again but I like to worry a lot and I can't help thinking that you haven't replied because you're lying at the side of a street somewhere, so just let me know you're okay? xx_

And the call came thirty minutes later. She cursed herself for letting the blonde worry, and typed out a quick reply, her fingers flying over the keys.

_I'm so sorry, I ended up staying up talking with Kurt and completely lost track of time! I apologise for worrying you, and I assure you I'm not typing this from the side of a street somewhere. ;) I'm glad we talked too, and I had a good time tonight. I will definitely see you soon; we can sort it tomorrow when I'm not half asleep. Night Quinn, thank you for being honest tonight, I appreciate it more than you probably know. xxxx_

Rachel leant back on the bed as soon as the message was sent, exhaustion finally setting in. She was glad; maybe she would be able to sleep tonight after all. Her phone blinking again made her force her head up, eyes scanning the reply Quinn had sent.

_It's fine, don't apologise, I may have slightly overreacted but I'm glad you got home safe. Of course we can sort out plans tomorrow, now stop talking to me and get some beauty sleep – not that you need it. Sweet dreams. xxx_

She turned her phone off after setting her alarm, deciding it was best to reply in the morning lest she lose even more sleep. She replayed the texts last few words while she made herself comfortable under the covers, their meaning not lost on her – Quinn thought she was beautiful.

She fell asleep with a smile on her face that night.

x-x-x

The next day Rachel woke up early, after a fitful night's sleep. A quick glance at the clock told her that it was nine – far too early; she was rarely up at this time, especially after going to bed so late. She debated trying to get back to sleep for a few hours, but doubted it'd work, so with a sigh she dragged herself out of bed and into the kitchen.

Kurt took one look at her face before shoving a mug towards her, and she glanced in it to see coffee, freshly brewed, that he'd no doubt been about to drink himself. "Do I really look that bad?"

"Just drink the coffee, Rach." She sighed but did as she was told as he busied himself making another cup, and she held her own between her fingers, letting the heat sink through and warm her hands.

"What are you up to today?"

"Not much. I was gonna head out and do some food shopping, if you wanna make a list? And then I've got to be at rehearsals at four."

"Not long until your big debut."

"Nope." He looked nervous, but she knew he had no reason to be – she hadn't been allowed to see the rehearsal, no-one outside of the cast and the crew had, but she knew how good Kurt was, she knew he had nothing to worry about. He'd ace it.

"Don't look so worried, you'll be fine."

"You haven't seen it yet."

"Don't need to. I know you have talent."

"You're the best, Rach." He brushed past her with his fresh mug of coffee in hand, ruffling her hair playfully on the way past as he retreated into his bedroom. "I'm gonna have a bath, make a list!"

She let him go, drumming her fingers on the now-empty mug still clasped in her hands. She still felt exhausted, and hoped that the caffeine would kick in soon. Glancing outside of the window she saw that the sky was clear, there was no sign of rain, so she decided to do something that she hadn't done for a while, something that would hopefully help her think and clear her head all at the same time.

Ten minutes later Rachel was back in the kitchen, dressed in running gear that she rarely used. She grabbed her iPod from where it was lying on the kitchen counter, slid her phone securely into her pocket, put on some uptempo music, and left the apartment, choosing to jog down the stairs.

When she opened the front door of the apartment building she was blasted with cold air, immediately making her more alert. To ward of the chill she adopted a quick jog as she headed for Central Park, just a few blocks away, dodging past the people littering the sidewalk.

She was there within five minutes, and once within the grounds she lengthened her stride, a soft breeze assaulting her cheeks as she focused soley on her breathing. In, out, in out. In. Out. But she couldn't focus her thoughts for too long – all too soon, a face rose up in her mind, a beautiful blonde face with haunting hazel eyes.

Rachel sighed, pushing herself harder, as though she could run away from her confusion, even though she knew it was futile. Quinn was still there, in her thoughts, seemingly taking over her life and she'd only moved to the same city three days ago.

She thought back for the thousandth time to last night, to Quinn revealing the reason for her hostility in high school. All along, for four years, Rachel had had no idea how the blonde had felt – but then again, she supposed that had been the point.

Although, that wasn't strictly true – looking back, she could start to see moments that could have been explained by Quinn's feelings. The memory of Puck's graduation party stuck clearly in her mind, when she'd found the intoxicated blonde out in his backyard, staring at the sky.

She'd been confused at the time, as to why Quinn seemed so sad, to the motivation behind her actions, no understood so clearly the pain she'd seen in those gorgeous eyes when she'd told her to go to Finn.

It all made sense now.

She couldn't imagine that, how much it must've hurt for her to be with someone else right in-front of the blonde. Didn't want to imagine it, didn't like knowing that she'd been responsible for hurting Quinn. It made her own chest ache – or maybe that was also due to the fact that she was desperately out of breath.

The brunette slowed to a walk, trying to control her rapid breathing. She was definitely out of shape. Damn Quinn and her stupid perfection. Damn her to hell for confusing her so much. She let out a frustrated groan, earning a slightly worried look from the guy she was passing who was walking his dog, and pushed herself forward again into a sprint. At least if she ran so much that she passed out then she wouldn't be saddled with such infuriating thoughts.

It didn't last for long though, and she was forced to slow to a halt after a few minutes, lungs burning and legs aching. She stepped to the side of the path she was on and rested her hands on her knees, hoping that the nausea she was feeling would pass and she wasn't going to hurl into the nearby bushes.

She felt her phone vibrating in her pocket and tugged it out, seeing Kurt's name and already knowing what he was going to say before she'd even answered. "_You didn't leave me a list."_

"I know, I'm sorry, I completely forgot."

_"Jesus, what've you been doing? You sound like you're dying."_

"I am, a little bit. I went for a run."

_"Since when do you run?"_

"Whenever I need to clear my head. Like now."

_"Uh-huh. And how's that working out for you?"_

"Awfully."

_"Aw, Rach, I'm sorry. Things will sort themselves out, I'm sure."_

"Mm, I'm a little dubious about that but for now I'll take the advice. And as for groceries, just buy whatever. You did fine last time without a list."

"_Alright, but you don't get to blame me if I buy stuff you won't eat."_

"As long as it's not meat I think we'll be fine."

_"Damn, there goes my plan to secretly convert you to a meat eater to save me the trouble of finding decent vegan food."_ She heard the jest in his voice and grinned, already feeling marginally better. Her heart rate was slowing and her breathing returning to normal, which she took to be good signs. "_Okay, I'll leave you to it. See you later. Don't run too much, I don't want to end up at the hospital so close to opening night."_

"Funny." She deadpanned, and he laughed before hanging up. She dropped the phone from her ear but before she had the chance to put it back in her pocket it was ringing again. "Jeez, what d'you need now?" She asked, not checking the caller ID, assuming that it'd be Kurt ringing her back because he'd forgotten something.

"_Uh, hello to you, too?_" She froze at the sound of the laughing voice, her heat skipping a beat – she hadn't expected to speak to her so soon. Quinn.

"Oh, shit, sorry. I thought you were Kurt."

_"Should I be offended?"_

"Not at all, I'd much rather it be you, you're much prettier to look at," she teased, unable to help herself, and she heard the blonde's breathy laugh once again on the other end of the line. "What's up?"

_"Well, I was just wondering if it was you I saw sprinting in Central Park but I can now see you and just answered my own question."_

"What? Where are you?"

"_Turn around_." She did, and saw the blonde approaching, holding her phone in one hand and a plastic Starbucks cup in the other. She was wearing jeans that were so tight that they clung to her hips and legs perfectly, and a black coat that was tied securely at her waist. "Hey," she murmured as she came to a stop in-front of the brunette, her cheeks flushed from the cold.

"Hey. What are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd go for a walk, wanted to clear my head."

"I was actually doing the same," Rachel replied with an easy grin, already relaxing in the blonde's presence.

"Except you were running."

"A mistake I'm sure to regret when I wake up tomorrow morning, but it seemed like a good idea at the time." The brunette tugged at the long sleeves of the thin running t-shirt that she was wearing, acutely aware of how it clung to every inch of her skin (as did the stretchy pants that she wore), leaving little to the imagination. She noticed Quinn's gaze flicker down at the movement, hazel eyes raking over the brunette's figure on the way back up to meet her gaze.

"At least you look good while doing it," the blonde said with a wink, and Rachel blushed. "Want me to leave you to your run?"

"No," the brunette's response was far too quick, and she blushed even deeper, looking away from the blonde and missing Quinn's soft smile. "I mean, you don't have to. I was pretty much done anyway."

"Oh, so what were you going to do, then?"

"Well, firstly I'm in desperate need of a shower, and then after that I don't really have much of a plan. Want to come back to Kurt's with me and we can spend the day together? Or some of it, anyway – I'll have to leave at three."

"That's fine; I have some errands to run later anyway." They fell into step beside one another effortlessly as they made their way back to Rachel's apartment, making small talk as they went. Kurt was still absent when they got back, and Rachel was glad – she didn't want him acting weird and tipping Quinn off that she'd been talking to her roommate about the blonde.

"You can stay in here if you want, or in my room. Up to you." The brunette saw the indecision raging in the blonde's eyes, but she eventually chose the living room, settling down onto the couch and turning the TV on. Rachel was slightly disappointed – she was kind of curious as to what reaction she'd illicit from the blonde if she stripped off her running gear in-front of her.

Shaking off that train of thought quickly she stepped under the hot spray of the shower, letting it soothe her aching muscles. She was out of there in record time, not wanting to keep the blonde waiting for too long.

She didn't bother with anything other than her underwear while she dried her hair, not wanting to get her clothes wet. She'd just finished drying the last strands when she heard the door crack open followed by a gasp, and she whirled around, taking in the sight of a wide-eyed Quinn standing in the doorway, Rachel's phone clasped in one hand and her eyes trying to desperately look anywhere other than the brunette's uncovered body before her.

"I… Your phone… went so I thought I'd… bring it to you in-case it was i-important," the blonde eventually managed to stutter out, and Rachel finally snapped out of the trance she'd been, taking slow, deliberate steps to where the blonde stood and plucking the phone from her hand.

"Thank you, Quinn," she murmured, looking up at the blonde through her eyes lashes. They were so close, just a breath apart, and she could see the raging desire in the blonde's eyes as she met the brunette's, tension crackling in the ait between them.

"I… I'll let you get changed," the blonde muttered, turning to leave but Rachel reached out a hand, catching her wrist and stopping her in her tracks. She didn't know why she'd stopped the blonde, it had been automatic – she just hadn't wanted her to leave. She wanted to know what would happen if they were left alone, wanting to see where the heat she was in Quinn's gaze would lead them.

She pulled the blonde back into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her, ignoring the questioning glance Quinn shot her, and not dropping her hand from the blonde's wrist. They were still so close, and Rachel couldn't think with Quinn she close, didn't want to think, not any more. She'd done too much thinking already that day and now, now… Now she just wanted to feel.

"Rach? Are you okay?" Quinn's fingers pressed gently into her chin, lifting her head so that she was forced to lock eyes with the blonde.

"I'm fine," she breathed, biting her lip as her gaze flickered down from hazel and onto the blonde's lips. _Don't think; just feel. Just do._

So she did. She leant up and paused so that their lips weren't touching, so that there was just the tiniest gap between them. She could feel the blonde's breath on her lips, feel the pulse racing underneath her fingertips.

Rachel couldn't say how long they stood like that, barely any space separating them, so close to getting what they wanted, neither one wanting to break the unbearable but undoubtedly perfect tension. It felt like hours, but it could have only been seconds before it became too much, and the brunette leant farther forward, closing the gap and brushing her lips just once, against the blonde's.

It was barely a touch, barely a kiss. It was her testing the waters, her first taste of the blonde, something that she hadn't even know she craved until it was right there in-front of her. And with that first touch of their lips together, she felt Quinn's tenuous control snap, as though she'd been waiting for the brunette to make the first move but then as soon she had done was unable to hodd herself back.

The hand that had been cradling Rachel's chin slid into her dark hair, curling around the strands and pulling the brunette's head towards her, their lips meeting again only this time, this time it was more than just a brief touch – this time neither one of them wanted to separate, ever again.

Quinn's lips were soft, softer than Finn's, softer than any Rachel had kissed before. It was a refreshing change, and she pressed herself closer to the blonde, eager to feel more of her, and was rewarded with a soft moan, possibly both the sweetest and sexiest noise that she'd ever heard – a noise that she wanted to hear again as soon as possible.

The blonde's lips moved with hers in a perfect rhythm, and she released Quinn's wrist to grasp at her hips with both hands, nails digging in as she pushed the blonde harder back against the door, any space between their bodies eradicated by the move.

Her body was on fire, dancing with every move of Quinn's mouth, and when she felt the blonde's tongue swipe along her bottom lip she opened parted them and let out a moan of her own when their tongues met, each desperately seeking to explore the others mouths until they couldn't breathe any more.

The hand that wasn't buried in the brunette's hair ghosted up and down her sides softly, eventually settling on Rachel's ass, fingernails scraping gently over the brunette's skin through her underwear, and she moaned more forcefully then before, causing Quinn's hand to tighten even more in her hair, tugging her impossibly closer.

Rachel's hands, still digging into the hipbones of the blonde, chose to be idle no more and one crept up inside the blonde's shirt, feeling the muscles of her stomach clench under her fingertips. Emboldened by Quinn's soft gasp at the contact she moved higher until she felt lace underneath her hands and squeezed softly.

The blonde's reaction was immediate – her head dropped back against the door, mouth leaving the brunette's only to groan out "_fuck_ Rach," as her hips bucked slightly, just slightly, against the brunette, but they were pressed so close that she felt it.

Their eyes met, Quinn's darker than Rachel had ever seen them, burning with desire and Rachel felt like if it were possible to be devoured simply by the heat in someone's gaze, that _that _look would be the one to do it.

Rachel closed the distance between them again, pulling the blonde's bottom lip into her mouth, desperate to be kissing her again. Once wasn't enough – _nothing_ would ever be enough. She'd never felt like this before, never felt such a connection, never felt like she needed to be kissing someone as much as she needed air.

And yet that was she felt in that moment as Quinn's lips moved with hers, hands still holding her close, and the brunette slowed the kiss down to a more languid pace, knowing that if she didn't slow down that she'd throw the blonde down on her bed and they wouldn't leave that room until they'd been fucking for hours and that, that, wasn't something that she was sure she was ready for – that was too fast; she wanted to do this right.

But when she felt the blonde's hand clench again, squeezing her ass and pushing her forward so that one of the blonde's legs fell in-between her own and pressed exactly against her centre, exactly where she needed the pressure, she gasped, wanting, needed to feel that again, but knowing that if she did she wouldn't be able to stop.

And she needed to stop.

But god, the feeling of Quinn's hands on her, lips on her, pressed tightly against her… she didn't know if she could stop. She didn't think she had the willpower to stop something that felt so amazing, that felt so supremely right.

But she was saved the trouble of stopping when the door that she was pressing Quinn against moved, someone pushing it from the other side. "Rach? Are you okay in there?" Kurt's voice, concerned, came through the door and the pair froze, moment shattered.

"Y-yeah, Kurt, I'm fine." Rachel's voice was breathy, and Kurt pressed against the door again, pushing Quinn's thigh once again into her, and she bit down on her bottom lip, hard, as her eyes flickered shut.

"Then why is the door not opening?"

"Because it's not, I'll be out in a second, okay?"

"Okay?" His voice came back, confused, and Rachel regrettably pushed herself away from the blonde, not taking her eyes off her hazel ones as she backed away and tugged on a pair of jeans and a tank top.

Quinn opened the door wordlessly, eyes still burning with desire, and she followed Rachel out of the brunette's bedroom. Kurt was stood a few metres away, and his eyes widening when he noticed the blonde.

"Oh, hey Quinn, I didn't know you were here."

"Why would you?" Rachel didn't like the tight smile that the blonde gave Kurt, and liked it even less when she said her next words. "Well, Rach, I'd better go, you need to get to your show soon anyway, right?"

"It's only eleven, Quinn, she doesn't have to be there until three." Kurt was looking confused, glancing between the two women, but Rachel only had eyes for the blonde.

"Oh. Well, I have some stuff to take care of, so…"

"You're not going anywhere." Rachel said, glaring at the blonde and even stamping her foot a little for effect. "Not without me." The blonde's eyes met hers, and the brunette couldn't read the expression in them. It should have been warm, open, after what had just happened but it wasn't – it looked almost… scared. "Don't you think we should talk?"

Kurt watched the staring contest occurring before him, still baffled, and watched Quinn cave as she looked away with a sigh. "Okay. Let's go have lunch somewhere – but you're buying."

"Deal." Rachel's eyes flickered over to Kurt, who raised an eyebrow, but she just shook her head. He knew what that meant – not now. "I'll see you later." He nodded and watched the pair of them leave, still completely mystified and wanting desperately to know what he'd interrupted in that bedroom… but then, on second thought, perhaps he didn't want to know.

x-x-x

They left the apartment and made their way onto the street in silence. Quinn's mind was still reeling – she didn't think that she'd be able to talk even if she knew what she wanted to say. Rachel had kissed her. And it hadn't been a little kiss, either. It had been a mind-blowing, earth-shattering, _fucking amazing_ kiss. She could still practically feel the brunette's body pressed against her own, her mind still overcome by the memory of Rachel in nothing but her underwear.

"Are you ever going to say anything?" Rachel was the first to break the silence, stopping the blonde in the mouth of an alley, pulling her into the shade it offered and crossing her arms across her chest, looking more vulnerable than Quinn had ever seen her.

"What do you want me to say, Rach?"

"I don't know. What are you thinking?"

"I should be asking you that."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Okay, fine. I'm thinking that that was possibly the greatest moment of my life so far and that I'm going to replaying it in my head for a long time yet. Happy?" She didn't know why there was a challenging note in her voice, or maybe she did – she was scared. Scared that she'd be rejected. Sure, Rachel had made the first move, but that didn't mean a lot. She could have done it for any reason, not necessarily because she wanted Quinn the way the blonde wanted Rachel.

"I… I don't know what I'm feeling." Quinn flinched, and the brunette realised her mistake immediately, reaching out for the blonde's arm – it was unbearable to not to be touching her in some way after they'd just been so close. She felt like she'd lost something until her fingers wrapped around the blonde's wrist and tugged her forward until their bodies were touching. "That's not what I meant. I don't regret it, Quinn. I'm glad it happened. I just… I don't know what I want now."

"Well, I know what I want. What I've wanted for years." The words slipped form Quinn's mouth easily – it was simple, now, after last night, to tell the brunette exactly what was on her mind. Whether or not that was a good thing, though, remained to be seen. "You."

"I know that. And I… I shouldn't have kissed you until I knew I wanted the same thing, I know that, but I just… I couldn't help myself. And I'm sorry for that. But…"

"But?"

"I know that I do have feelings for you. I know that I don't want to lose you. I know that that kiss… that kiss was one of the best moments of my life, too. I've never felt anything like that, I've never been kissed like that before. And I know that I'd love nothing more than to do it again."

"So where does that leave us?"

"I don't know. I still need to think things over."

"I can respect that, I guess. I've had a lot longer than you to process this. So… I'll wait. I'll give you time to think. But Rach?" The brunette glanced up into unreadable hazel eyes, wishing she could name the emotion that she saw in their depths. "I've waited for so long already, I don't think I can take much longer."

"I know, Quinn, I'm sorry." Her arms wound around the blonde's neck and she pressed closer into a hug, feeling strong arms envelope her waist. Quinn breathing in the scent of the brunette, remembered the way her body had responded against her touch, burning it into her memory – she didn't want to forget that any time soon.

"You don't need to apologise," she breathed into dark curls, before stepping back, the feeling of Rachel's breath in her neck making it necessary for her to put some distance between them before she ending up kissing her again. "Now, how about that lunch?"

They turned back onto the street, Rachel leading the way, her arm hooked through the blonde's. Quinn let her mind wander again, running over their conversation – she hadn't been completely shot down, that was good. There was still time for it to happen, but she was feeling a little less terrified than she had before they'd left Kurt and Rachel's apartment.

"There's a cute little café around this corner, I found it while I was at NYADA, I think you'll really like it."

"I'm sure I will," came the blonde's response, slightly distracted because she swore that she could hear someone calling Rachel's name, but the brunette didn't turn around so she shook it off. But then the voice came again, louder this time.

"Rachel! Rachel Berry!" The diva finally noticed and turned around, puzzled look on her face that soon split to one of realisation as her eyes landed on a tall, dark-haired guy that was rushing towards them, one hand held out in a wave. Quinn took one look at him, noticed the way that his eyes ran down the length of the brunette's body before doing exactly the same thing to her own, and decided that she didn't like him already.

"Hey! What are you doing back in the city?"

"Got a two week break in my tour, so I thought I'd head back here and catch up with some friends. How are you? I haven't seen you for ages!" He glanced to Quinn once more, eyes flickering to where her arm was linked with Rachel's, and then his gaze zeroed in on the brunette's left hand – where her engagement ring had been, Quinn noted. If she hadn't liked the look of him before, her dislike only intensified at the grin that spread across his face when he realised that no ring sat on Rachel's finger any more.

"Rach?" The blonde asked, causing two pairs of dark eyes to turn to her curiously. She knew that there was hostility in her voice, but she couldn't help it – she didn't want him anywhere near the brunette. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

"I'm Brody," the guy cut in, extended a hand with a cocky smile. "Brody Weston. I went to college with Rachel. And you are?"

"Quinn Fabray."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Quinn." His eyes ran along her body again, pausing for a brief second on her chest, and she felt her lips curled in disgust – guys like this were why she was glad that she was gay. She felt Rachel lean closer to her, though the blonde didn't know if it was because she sensed her disapproval of Brody or because she'd noticed his gaze and was being possessive.

She sincerely hoped it was the latter – that meant that they were making progress, at least.

"So, what were you gals up to?" Brody broke the slightly strained silence that resulted, letting his hand drop back down to his side when Quinn refused to shake it.

"We were just about to grab some food."

"Oh, really? Because I'm starving! And it'll give us a chance to catch up, right Rach? You don't mind if I tag along, do you?"

"Uh, well, I - "

"Great! Lead the way." If he noticed Quinn's glare, he gave no sign of it, all he did was fall into step beside Rachel as she reluctantly continued to the café she'd been talking about before, dragging the blonde along with her. Her day had started off okay, become amazing, and now seemed to be rapidly deteriorating with the arrival of an idiot that she couldn't help think would be the result of Finn and Puck merging together.

_Well, I guess this is my karma for enjoying myself so much this morning_, she thought, a little bitterly, as Brody propped the café door open and allowed the two women to slip through and inside. They chose a booth, and even Quinn admitted that Brody had some skills, because he managed to squeeze past the blonde so that he could sit beside Rachel, forcing Quinn to take the seat opposite them. Rachel glanced at her apologetically as she glared once more at Brody, who studiously ignored her.

It was going to be a long lunch.

**A/N:**

**Okay, so I hope this chapter lived up to some of the expectation - I didn't want their relationship to be rushed; but I didn't want to drag it out too much either, so hopefully it's somewhere in the middle.  
**

**I'd love to know any thoughts you guys have, and once again thank you for sticking with this story! **


	10. Chapter 10

"I'll see you later, Rach," Quinn ground out through gritted teeth as she stood up from her seat at the cafe, throwing her napkin savagely down onto the table. She was absolutely furious, so much so that her hands shook – she balled them into fists to keep it from being noticeable – Brody Weston was somehow, impossibly, an even bigger prick than Finn had ever been.

She turned and walked from the café without waiting for a response from the brunette, striding angrily down the street outside, heading automatically for her own apartment, and trying not to think about the appalling hour she'd just spent watching him flirt outrageously with Rachel.

_Her_ Rachel.

Okay, maybe it was too early to call Rachel hers, maybe that was even a little possessively creepy, but that didn't stop her from being irritated when she remembered the way that Brody had had his hands all over the brunette as soon as she'd confirmed that she was indeed, no longer engaged.

It had made Quinn's blood boil, especially when the touches were laden with flirtatious comments – but that hadn't been as bad as when the prick had let it known that the two of them had slept together.

She'd wanted to leave right then, when she'd started to talk about the night they'd shared together, with the thinly laid innuendo that they should do it again now that she was available. As it was, she'd just excused herself to the bathroom in an attempt to calm down – thankfully by the time she'd returned he'd stopped mentioning it.

She'd hoped that perhaps the brunette had said that she was seeing someone else, or at least interested in someone else, in the time that she'd been gone to lessen the flirting, but apparently not because it had only gotten progressively worse as they'd eaten.

She was still fuming when she reached the door of her apartment, slamming the door shut behind her. Her phone rang, and she glared when she saw the caller ID – Rachel, of course. She knew that it was a little irrational of her to be angry at the diva, but she just couldn't believe that Rachel had slept with a guy like him. Add to that the fact that she hadn't seemed to mind all that much when his hands had been on her arm, or her thigh, had just laughed off the sexual comments, and that made for a very angry Quinn Fabray.

She ignored the call, knowing that she'd probably just rage at the brunette if she answered, and collapsed onto her couch, pressing a pillow against her face and letting out a frustrated growl. Today had started off so wonderfully, and now it was ruined. She could scarcely even remember the heavenly mood she'd been in that morning through all her fury.

Her phone kept ringing, and it was with a sigh that she finally relented, shoving the pillow off her body and grabbing it, lifting it to her ear. "What?" Her voice was terse, she knew it, but she couldn't help it.

She'd forgotten what it was like, to see Rachel with someone else, someone that wasn't her. It had been so long since she'd seen her with Finn, that the memory of what it had felt like to watch someone else's hands all over her had faded until she'd almost forgotten the pain.

But now she remembered, and it was agony, made worse by the fact that it had been _her_ hands all over Rachel's body that morning – she'd thought that she finally had Rachel, but maybe she'd been premature in that assumption. Maybe she wanted Brody instead.

"Quinn?" Her voice was quiet, uncertain, apparently not knowing how to react to the change in the blonde's voice. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm not fucking okay, Rach, I just had to watch some oaf flirt with you for an hour while I was completely ignored. Not to mention that you didn't look like it bothered you, at all."

"Of course it bothered me, Quinn, how can you say that? I just… didn't want to blow him off so soon after I haven't seen him for years. What does it matter? I probably won't see him again."

"It matters because he probably thinks he has a chance with you! What happened when I left?"

"He asked me out on a date," Rachel sighed, and Quinn flinched, hardly daring to breathe as she waiting for the brunette to continue.

"And? What did you say?"

"I said no, you idiot. Of course I'm not going to go out with him, I'm not interested in him in the slightest. It's you I want a chance with, not him. Okay? Now can you stop being so jealous, please?"

"You slept with him." She couldn't help the slight note of betrayal in her voice – she had thought that Rachel had slept with only Finn, but apparently not. She hoped that Brody was the only one that she needed to worry about.

"Yes, I did. Four and a half fucking years ago, Quinn. It meant nothing to me – it didn't then and it sure as hell doesn't now. I only did it because I stupidly thought it would make me feel better about breaking up with Finn. Happy? I'm sure you've slept with more people than Puck over the years, haven't you? Why do you expect me to have only been with Finn?"

"I didn't expect you to sleep with people you weren't dating."

"Does that mean you've dated every person you've ever slept with?" She could hear the exasperation in Rachel's voice, and really just wanted this conversation to be over. She shouldn't have picked up the phone. She shouldn't have gone back to the brunette's apartment that morning – then she'd never had ended up in that godforsaken café.

And they'd never had kissed – feeling the aching in her chest now, she was starting to believe that maybe it would have been better if they hadn't.

"No, it doesn't. I just… I didn't know there was anyone other than Finn, for you. I didn't think… I didn't think that there was anyone else that I had to watch out for." Her voice was quiet, still unused to being so honest about her deepest feelings, especially to the woman that caused most of those feelings.

"Quinn," Rachel sighed, softly, though she sounded less annoyed than she had a second ago. "You don't need to worry about anyone else, okay? It's you I want. Brody's just… an old acquaintance. I don't want to see him again, I hate his flirting, and I'm sorry it upset you. If I'd known I would have said something."

"Would you?" There was a note of betrayal – surely the brunette must have seen her getting riled up every time they touched.

"Yes. I knew he was annoying you, I just didn't know that it was because of that."

"What else would it have been?"

"I don't know. But I am sorry, okay? Are you free tonight? I want to see you."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Oh." Quinn heard the offended note in the diva's voice, and, realising what she was probably thinking, quickly corrected the mistake.

"It's not that I don't want to see you, Rach, believe me, it's just that I don't think it's a good idea for us to be alone together after what happened this morning. You said you wanted some time to figure that out, and I respect that – but I doubt I'll be able to keep my hands to myself if we're alone here."

"Oh, okay. Well… why don't you come over to my place? Kurt should be around."

"Okay, then. What time?" They set it up and the brunette hung up, leaving Quinn alone with her thoughts. She turned the TV on for the background noise and lay back on the couch with another heavy sigh. Why couldn't she just have a simple life, a simple relationship?

But evidently, that wasn't how her life was supposed to plan out. She still felt terrible, even after they'd cleared some stuff up, and she glanced at the time, taking the chance that her best friend would be on a break or be able to pick up the phone.

_"Q?"_

"Hey! Glad I caught you, I thought you might be working."

"_Nah, practice got cancelled today so I've got the day off. Now, what's up?"_

"How do you know something's up?"

_"Are you kidding? I've known you for what, like eight years? I can tell when something's bothering you. Spill." She smiled softly, knowing that she was the luckiest person to have Santana, even if their friendship hadn't always been plain sailing._

"I… I kissed Rachel. Well, actually, no. She kissed me."

_"Holy fucking shit, are you serious? Berry grew some balls? I fucking told you she had the hots for you. Did you get down and dirty, then? But wait, why are you so upset if you finally made out?"_

"Could you speak any faster, S?"

_"I have to, this is big news! I've been waiting for this conversation for fucking years, cut me some slack."_

"Okay, so, this is what happened…"

x-x-x

Ever since she'd hung up on Quinn earlier that afternoon, Rachel hadn't been able to think of anything other than the blonde. During rehearsal she'd been asked at least five times if she was alright, because she kept messing up – tripping over thin air, stuttering over her lines, pausing for too long. Anything that she could have done wrong happened, and she was nearly in tears by the time the director called it quits.

He'd pulled her aside and asked if she'd needed to go home, if her understudy needed to step up for the night, but she'd refused. Pushing Quinn out of her head had been incredibly difficult but she'd managed to do it, delivering an almost perfect performance.

Afterward, she'd retired to her dressing room during the two hour gap before the next show, and tried to sort her head out. She was still stunned by the events that had occurred in her bedroom that morning, hardly daring to believe that it had been reality, that she'd been brave enough to actually kiss the blonde like she'd been wanting to for the last few days. She could still remember the feeling of the blonde's lips against her own, still hear the sound of her soft moans, knew that she'd like nothing more than to hear the blonde made that noise again.

And then there'd been the horrific lunch with Brody. She still felt a little ill recalling his awful flirting, but he was harmless, she knew that. Was wasn't so harmless though, was the reminder of that night when she'd let her inhibitions slip a little too much after she'd been drinking and they'd had sex. He'd been there, and she'd been lonely, and… well, things had gone from there.

She'd regretted it, so much, and hadn't ever told Finn – or Kurt. Quinn was officially the only other person that knew about it, and the blonde was just about the last person that Rachel wanted knowing about her… late-night adventures.

She still couldn't get over the blonde's voice on the phone – she knew that the irritation that had laced her voice at first had been because she was hurt, hurt that Rachel had let Brody flirt so much right in-front of the blonde, but well, she hadn't been thinking about how it would hurt Quinn. And she regretted it, a lot, because the last thing she wanted was to cause her any more pain.

But she could fix that, tonight. She'd apologise until she lost her voice, if she had to. Anything to made Quinn feel better.

The second show went better than the first, and she felt better as she began the walk back to her apartment, knowing that she would soon see Quinn again. She'd been thinking a lot, all day, even as she'd been performing (the words and the songs came to her so easily now, she barely needed to think about them), and she'd managed to sort a few things out in her mind – things that she wanted to tell Quinn as soon as possible.

The blonde was already waiting outside when she got there, leaning against the wall beside the door, eyes looking down at her phone, clutched her hand, a soft smile on her face as her eyes scanned over the screen.

Rachel paused for a second, just admiring her without the other woman knowing that she was there. She was beautiful, absolutely stunning, and she could scarcely believe that this image of perfection wanted to be hers.

The blonde looked up, then, her face splitting into a radiant smile when she noticed Rachel standing a few feet away, hazel eyes sparkling with warmth. It stole the brunette's breath away. She closed the remaining distance between them and slid her key into the lock on the door with a murmured 'hey', to the woman who stood beside it.

"Hey," she replied, voice soft, before Rachel felt a gentle hand on the small of her back. "I'm sorry, for going so crazy on you before."

"I know you are." Rachel spun around so that she was facing the taller woman, back now pressed against the unlocked but still shut door. "I'm sorry, too." The blonde's eyes were still sparkling, but there was something else in her gaze, something more heated, and it made Rachel just want to drag her into the apartment by the collar of the shirt the blonde was wearing, not stopping until they reached her bedroom.

But that was decidedly not what she had planned to do tonight.

Shaking her head in the hope to banish the dirty thoughts, she pushed the door open, hoping that Kurt would be here so she they wouldn't be alone, but the room was empty, silent, and she knew that he mustn't be back yet.

_Damn it_, she thought, but beckoned the blonde over to the couch anyway, settling down and turning the TV on so that they had something to listen to. "Do you want a drink?" She said as an afterthought – she needed to start being a better hostess, but the blonde was already shaking her head.

"No, thanks, I'm good." Quinn glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, biting her bottom lip thoughtfully – which wasn't helping Rachel's mind stay on track. Why did the blonde have to be so damn sexy? And why had she never noticed it before? "I probably shouldn't stay for too long, I know you've had a busy day, you probably want to head to bed soon."

"Not really," Rachel replied with a shrug. She truly wasn't tired – she had been, on the walk back to the apartment, but the sight of the gorgeous blonde waiting outside her door had woken her up almost as well as a splash of cold water to her face would have done. "But I don't want you walking home in the dark too late."

"And yet you do it every night. Hypocrite." The blonde's voice was teasing, and Rachel found herself slipping easily into the easy banter that occurred whenever the two of them were alone.

"And I told you why that was – I've lived here for years, but you haven't. It makes me worry. In fact, maybe you should spend the night here again." She shouldn't have said it, knew that it was tempting fate, knew that the blonde's thoughts shot straight to dirty when their eyes locked in a heated gaze – but she didn't regret the words. She could think of nothing better than falling asleep with Quinn's arms around her.

"I… I don't know if that's such a good idea, Rach."

"Why not?" She pouted, eyes zeroing in when Quinn worried her bottom lip between her teeth again._ Pure thoughts, Berry, pure thoughts, let's not go down this road._ _Not yet, anyway._

"Because I don't think I could keep my hands to myself after what happened in your bedroom this morning."

"What if I don't want you to keep your hands to yourself?"

"What do you mean by that?" There was a crease in-between the blonde's furrowed eyebrows, her hazel eyes quizzical as she eyed the brunette across the couch. Rachel took a deep breath, preparing the little speech she'd been working on all afternoon, and knew that now was the right time. This was it.

Now or never.

"I mean that I want you, Quinn. And I don't just mean that in a sexual way, though obviously I want that, too. I know I said this morning that I needed time to think about it, but after today I think I know everything that I need to.

"I know that I have feelings for you, that I probably have done for a while, that I just didn't recognise them for what they really were. But I do have them, and I want to be with you, if you'll have me. But I want to do this properly – I don't want to rush anything."

She watched Quinn's face carefully as she spoke, watched the confused and almost wary expression give way to disbelief and then, finally, happiness. Her eyes shone, and a single tear ran from the corner of one eye. Rachel scrambled across the narrow gap separating them, reaching up gentle fingers to wipe it away, her hand trembling slightly as she touched the blonde's cheek – she'd never felt such a strong pull, such a need to be touching another person, to be as close as physically possible, and it was just as exhilarating as it was terrifying.

"Don't cry," she murmured, dropping her hand to Quinn's shoulder and curling it around the back of her neck, absentmindedly playing with strands of blonde hair. It was so reminiscent of the previous night – had it really only been twenty four hours ago? It seemed like so much longer.

It should have felt fast, what was developing between them, the overwhelming desire that she felt for the blonde, but it didn't. It felt utterly and completely right – more so than anything else she'd ever done in her life. Even being on stage didn't compare to what she was feeling right now. Nothing could top it.

Or maybe something could, because the blonde leant forward then and captured Rachel's lips in a sweet, chaste kiss (probably what their first should have started out as), and she decided that that was the best feeling, the one of soft lips moving gently against her own.

She sighed softly, contently, and rested her forehead against the blonde's when she broke the kiss. "Do you have any idea how long I've waited for you to say that?" Quinn murmured, hazel eyes locking with brown, and the emotion that Rachel saw there took her breath away.

She'd never felt anything like this. Finn had never looked at her like that, no-one ever had. No-one had ever had such a profound effect on her – body, mind and soul – as the blonde had managed since she'd stormed back into her life two weeks ago. There was love in her eyes, honest, pure, perfect, love, love for her, and even if the blonde wasn't ready to admit her feelings completely, the brunette was perfectly okay with that because it was so blatantly obvious to her – she couldn't believe she'd been so blind before now.

She could have saved them both years of misery.

But it was pointless looking back on the past, not when they had an entire future ahead of them, a possible lifetime together. She was sure that it would be worth the wait.

"Too long," she breathed in reply to the blonde's question, kissing her again – pulling away, regretfully, before things got too heated. "I meant what I said. I want to take this slow."

"And yet you still asked me to spend the night," Quinn murmured, playfully, and Rachel huffed, leaning back against the couch, folding her arms across her chest.

"Not my fault if you can't control yourself."

"How can I? Have you seen you?" Rachel felt her cheeks flush red, unused to compliments, which just made the blonde's smile widen to a grin. "I'm only joking. I can do slow. I might not want to, but I can. And in the spirit of doing things properly – I'm taking you out on a date tomorrow night."

"Where?"

"Ah, ah. That's for me to know and you to agonize over."

"But I won't know what to wear!" The brunette exclaimed, pouting. She hated surprises. And Quinn knew it – she was totally doing this on purpose, to drive her insane. "Pleaseeeeee, Quinn. Just tell me where we're going."

"I would, but even I don't know yet. You didn't exactly give me much notice."

"And that's my fault?"

"Well yeah, kinda."

"I'm - " But Rachel was cut off by the sound of the door opening over Quinn's shoulder, an exhausted looking Kurt stepping through and eyeing the pair of them curiously, no doubt trying to gauge what they'd been talking about. "Hey, you, long day?"

"The _worst_ day." He threw himself down onto the other couch with a heavy sigh. "They called me in early because the director had a complete meltdown that we weren't going to be ready for opening night, so I've been running through the whole freaking play for the past seven hours."

"Ouch," Rachel murmured sympathetically, remembering what it had been like for her in the weeks leading up to Spring Awakening's release.

"When's the first show?" Quinn asked, looking generally interested as her eyes landed on Kurt. Rachel snuck one of her hands onto the blonde's thigh while she was distracted, slipping underneath the blonde's own hand which already rested there. She just felt compelled to have her hands on Quinn, to keep touching her to make sure that she was actually there, actually real – actually hers.

"The 20th November, so next Monday. Six days - I'm dreading it."

"I'm sure you have nothing to worry about; you were amazing in high school, I'm sure you've only gotten better over the last few years." Quinn's voice was reassuring, and Rachel wanted to beam – her best friend and her (tentatively titled because they hadn't actually confirmed it yet) girlfriend were getting along. Today had been the_ greatest_ day.

"Thank you, Quinn. I appreciate that. If you want…" He trailed off, shooting Rachel a quick glance before continuing. "I've got a ticket for Rach for the premiere already, but I can get you one too, if you like?"

"That'd be great." A genuine smile played across the blonde's lips, and Kurt returned it with one of his own, happy that they were getting along. Rachel stretched and glanced at the clock, almost wincing at the time – she was so, so tired. Quinn's gaze followed the brunette's and also seemed to notice the time. "You should be getting to bed, Miss Berry."

"Only if you come with me." She tried to keep her voice innocent, but it apparently didn't work judging from Kurt's shocked gasp and the way that Quinn (very sexily), bit her bottom lip as their eyes met.

"I shouldn't. And besides, I don't have any stuff with me."

"So? I'm not in the mood for arguments or stubbornness, so come _on_." She rose to her feet fluidly and tugged Quinn up with her, linking their hands together and pulling the blonde in the direction of her bedroom. "Night, Kurt," were her parting words, directed over her shoulder towards her bewildered roommate, who just stared blankly after them, wondering absently if he needed to invest in a pair of earplugs for the night.

x-x-x

Quinn Fabray wasn't quite sure how she'd gone from thinking she'd never see Rachel Berry again as of a month ago, to being dragged into said woman's bedroom by the hand. She felt sorry for Kurt – God knew what he was thinking after Rachel's little display, but she found that she didn't really care as the brunette shut the door behind them.

"Take these." The same clothes that Quinn had worn the last time she'd slept here were shoved into her arms, and Rachel sat on the edge of her bed, brown eyes never leaving the blonde's.

"Uh, okay, I'll just go get changed in the - "

"No. You're getting changed there. Right there." Quinn gulped at the expression in the diva's eyes – there was hunger there, mixed with a desire that made her want to do nothing more than close the few metres gap between them and pounce on her.

But that definitely wouldn't be taking things slow, and she wanted to respect the brunette's wishes. If only she'd stop looking at her like that.

"Um, forgive me for saying so, but I don't really think me stripping in-front of you classes as slow."

"You got to see me in my underwear this morning; I think it's only fair that you return the favour." There was a smirk on Rachel's face, and Quinn gulped again, mind going back to the sight she'd walked in on that morning, the sight that had started all of this – she was incredibly grateful for whoever the hell it had been that had sent that text to Rachel. She probably owed them a lot.

"Okay, then." She'd never been shy about her body, she knew she looked pretty damn good – she had Sue Sylvester to thank for that, for the insane amounts of exercise she'd made the blonde, and the rest of the Cheerios, go through way back when. It had made it fairly easy to keep to a much easier schedule once she'd made it to college.

She decided to have more than a little fun with the gorgeous brunette perched on the edge of the bed, making sure that she kept eye contact as her hands fell to the hem of her shirt, inching it up slowly, watching the brunette's eyes flick down to her abs as they were revealed, before tracing up, higher and higher, until her bra was on show – she was glad that she'd elected for dark blue lace that morning. She knew it made her look pretty damn good.

Knowing that Rachel's eyes were firmly rooted to her chest, Quinn lifted the shirt over her head quickly and let it drop to the floor, before undoing the button of her jeans and starting to slide them, tortuously slowly, down her legs, eyes never leaving Rachel's face.

She looked entranced, eyes following the movement of the blonde's jeans, hands fisted in the covers on the bed so hard that her knuckles were white, and Quinn smirked, loving that she was having such an effect on the woman that she'd wanted for so long.

She could scarcely believe that any of this was happening; half convinced that at any moment she'd wake up, back in her bed in LA facing another day at the office, casually stalking the brunette diva online to see what she was up to.

Deciding that she'd teased Rachel for long enough, she let her jeans pool on the floor and stepped out of them, pulling the shorts on, quickly followed by the tank top. The brunette frowned as soon as she was completely covered, and Quinn grinned, walking fluidly over to the bed. She longed to kiss the brunette, kneel on either side of her hips so she was straddling her tiny waist, run her hands through dark hair and strip both of their clothes off – but instead she sank down on the left side, rolling on her side to see brown eyes still watching her.

"You're a tease," she pouted, and Quinn grinned, loving that she could affect her so much. "As punishment I'm getting changed in the bathroom." She snatched her clothes up from the side of the bed and sauntered into the adjourning room, leaving a laughing Quinn to settle underneath the covers, stretching out and taking up as much space as she could. "Where am I supposed to sleep?" The brunette asked upon her return, standing beside the bed with her hands on her hips, glaring down at the blonde.

"I guess you're just going to have to cuddle up to me," Quinn replied with an innocent smile. Rachel yanked back the covers with another huff, before climbing in and turning her back to the blonde. She switched the bedside light off and then shuffled backwards until her back was pressed against the blonde's side.

Quinn rolled so that her front was pressed against Rachel's back, her face buried in dark hair and an arm curling around her waist. They lay like that for a while, just breathing each other in, thinking over all that had happened that day to bring them to this moment.

"So where are you taking me on our date?" Rachel eventually asked, breaking the silence. Quinn only laughed, which caused her to turn so that they were facing, so close that they breathed the same air. "You're no fun, you should answer me."

"Oh, I'm plenty fun," she murmured against Rachel's lips before kissing her softly. "And I already told you, I don't know where we're going yet."

"You suck," was the reply, but a slender arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer so that their noses were touching. Quinn's eyes fluttered shut, content to just lie in the brunette's arms, marvelling at how lucky she was. "Quinn?"

"Yeah?" She cracked an eye open to see Rachel looking slightly worried, which made her frown. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I was just…"

"Just?"

"Are you my girlfriend now? I know we haven't been on a date yet, so technically we're only dating and not in a relationship, and I don't want to jinx things by labelling it too soon, but I don't want to date I just want you, so I was just wondering because we both have feelings for each other if we should - " The brunette's rambling was cut off when the blonde took pity on her and pressed a finger to her lips.

"Rach, sweetie, slow down."

"Slow down? So you don't want to be my girlfriend?"

"That's not what I meant. I meant slow down your talking, I was starting to lose track of what you were saying."

"Oh. So you do want to be my girlfriend?"

"Of course I do, idiot."

"Hey! I've never done this before, don't be mean to me."

"I'm not being mean." Quinn rolled her eyes pressing a gentle kiss to the brunette's forehead. "Rachel Barbara Berry, will you do me the honour of being my girlfriend?" A smile tugged at the brunette's lips, eyes lighting up with happiness as she leant forward and crashed their lips together, a little more fiercely than any of the other kisses they'd shared that evening.

"Yes," was the simple response, breathed against her lips when they finally broke apart, and Quinn wrapped her arms tightly around the brunette that had somehow wiggled her way ontop of her, pressing her face into the crook of her neck and breathing her in, loving the way they fit together.

"I think we should go to sleep," she murmured against the diva's skin. "Because it's getting harder and harder to remember why I said I'd keep my hands to myself."

"Technically they're not to yourself because they're on my ass." Quinn grinned, letting her hands drop back onto the bed as the brunette rolled to the side, back to the blonde once more. Her arm wrapped around her waist again and drew the smaller body towards her, unable to stand any distance being between them. "Night, Quinn."

"Night, beautiful," she whispered into the brunette's hair, where her face was pressed into, and Rachel's hand squeezed her hand softly in response. It wasn't long before Quinn felt the brunette's breathing deepen as she fell asleep, and she let herself relax, matching her breathing to the woman she was wrapped around, and remembering the feeling of utter contentment for the nights that she would have to spend alone.

It was the best night's sleep that either of them had ever had, surpassing even the last time they'd spent the night together.

**A/N:**

**Guys, guys, _guys_, did you_ really_ think that Rachel was going to go off with Brody after everything that had happened with Quinn? The reason he was there was mostly to give Rachel that last little push towards admitting how she felt. **

**Another thing to clear up, I messed up with the dates/timings a little earlier on in the story in regards to Wicked's opening night. But the info from this chapter is correct with the timeline I've got set up now, so ignore any earlier references; I'll try and get around to editing them soon. **

**Hope you're all still enjoying the story :)**


	11. Chapter 11

When Quinn woke up the next morning it was to a tangle of limbs – Rachel's legs were twined with her own, the brunette's arm thrown across her waist and her head resting on the blonde's chest.

She smiled softly down at the other woman, relaxing back against the pillows, eyes resting on the pale ceiling above her. The brunette stirred slightly in her arms as she let the fingers of the hand that had somehow ended up wrapped around her waist during the night traced gentle patterns across the soft skin of her lower back.

It was light outside, but she couldn't be bothered moving to check the time – she was too comfortable, too content. Plus, she didn't want to wake Rachel up early – she knew that the brunette must have been exhausted after such a long day yesterday.

She glanced down again at the diva, still smiling. She could barely believe that the girl of her dreams was wrapped around her. Was her _girlfriend_. Her official, honest-to-God _girlfriend_. It filled her with an intense happiness that she'd never felt before in her life; nothing had ever felt this perfect, this _right_.

A soft knock on the door made her look up, to see Kurt's head peering uncertainly around the doorframe. He appraised the way they were lying, not quite able to school the surprise in his expression into something more neutral before Quinn noticed.

"I was just wondering if you wanted any breakfast?" He whispered quietly, not doubt also conscious about waking the brunette.

"Uh, not right now. Maybe a bit later on, but I can make something then," she murmured quietly back, with a gentle smile – they may not have gotten off to the best of starts since she'd reappeared back in Rachel's life, but she could see how valuable a friend he was to the brunette. To her girlfriend. _Nope, still not used to thinking that. _

"Okay." He shot them one last, curious glance before shutting the door behind him with a soft click, leaving the two alone again. Rachel snuggled further into the blonde's side with a content sigh, which only served to make Quinn's smile widen.

Her mind fled to what she needed to plan tonight – she wouldn't settle for anything less than perfect for her first official date with Rachel Berry. She'd waited for this moment for years; there was no way that she was going to let it go to waste. But she didn't have much time to plan. Maybe she should have suggested the weekend instead, but… no, that was much too far away.

Movement from her side made the blonde's gaze track downwards, to where a very sleep Rachel Berry was blinking up at her. "Hey, sleepyhead." A groan was her only answer, as the brunette buried her head in the blonde's neck, mumbling something that Quinn couldn't make out. "Are you always so grumpy in the morning?"

"I am not grumpy."

"Yes, you are. I think it's adorable." Rachel's head lifted to glare at the blonde, who bit her lip to stop herself from laughing at the look on her face. "Adorable," she repeated, kissing her forehead lightly.

"Not grumpy," the brunette mumbled, curling further into Quinn's side. "It's just too early."

"It's…" Quinn leaned to the side to grab her phone, checking the time. "Eleven o' clock."

"Exactly. Early."

"Nu-uh."

"Yu-huh." Quinn's hand skimmed up the brunette's back, slipping under her shirt and pressing lightly into soft skin. "Mm, keep doing that and I'll agree to whatever you want," Rachel breathed against the blonde's neck.

Quinn obliged, running her hand along the length of her back again and again, digging in at the small of her back earning a soft moan from the other woman. "You're the best."

"I know."

"Egotistical, much?"

"You said it first."

"Yes, but – mm, _yesss_, there – that doesn't mean that you shouldn't at least _try _to be humble about it." Quinn smirked, more than a little pleased by the reaction Rachel had to the scrape of the blonde's nails against her skin.

"You talk a lot, you know."

"I know. You already knew this when you asked me out, so it's not my problem."

"True. I guess." The quiet buzz of Quinn's phone had her turning to one side, glancing at the screen to see Santana's picture across the screen. She bit her lip, wanting desperately to answer and talk to her friend, but also not wanting to bed rude to the brunette whose bed she was currently lying in.

"You can answer that, you know," Rachel quipped, seeing the indecision on the blonde's face. "As long as I can continue with the snuggling."

"_You're_ the best."

"I know."

"_Now _who's being egotistical?" The blonde said with a laugh, before pressing _accept _on her phone and lifting it to her ear. "Hey, S, what's up?"

"_You sound happy."_

"I am."

_"Oooh, did you finally get laid?"_

"Oh my God, does everything have to be about sex with you?" She asked with a roll of her eyes, Rachel throwing her a curious glance with one eyebrow raised – maybe talking to Santana whilst in bed with her new girlfriend hadn't been the best idea, after all.

"_Of course it does. Because most things _are._ So spill. What when down last night? Hopefully literally?"_

"Nothing."

_"You're lying to me, Fabray."_

"Me? Lie? To you? Never." There was a smile on her face – she loved Santana, loved the easy-going friendship they had, loved the fact that they could banter back and forth for hours. She embarrassed the hell out of the blonde on a regular basis, but Quinn wouldn't have it any other way.

"_Yup, you are. So spill."_

"I can't right now, I'm busy."

_"Doing what? Or should I say, _who_?"_

"Is she always so crass?" Came Rachel's voice, loudly, from Quinn's side. She could hear every word the Latina was saying, and was highly amused by the pair's conversation.

_"Is that Berry? Are you with Berry?"_

"Yes, S, I am."

_"Doing what?"_

"Nothing."

"Well, Quinn, I would _hardly _call you being in bed with me nothing," the brunette interjected again with a devilish smile, and Quinn groaned, leaning back against the pillows.

"The two of you are going to be the death of me, I swear," she muttered, hearing laughter from both women – at least they were enjoying themselves.

_"Okay, you are so calling me later when you're alone."_

"Yeah, yeah. I will."

_"Alrighty then. Speak to you later, Q. And bye, Berry."_

"Later, S."

"Bye Santana!" Rachel managed to shout before the blonde hung up the phone, turning her eyes to the brunette in a glare.

"Do you _really _have to encourage her?"

"I couldn't help myself. It was too easy – I'm sorry." The blonde pouted, which only made the brunette's grin widen, before she took pity on her gorgeous girlfriend and kissed her gently on the lips.

"You suck."

"Only when you want me to," she replied with a wink, and Quinn gulped, not missing the innuendo in the brunette's voice. "I'm going to get dressed, Kurt's probably wondering where we've gotten to."

"I'm sure he probably doesn't _want _to be wondering where we've gotten to. Exactly how much did you tell him about us?" The blonde called into the bathroom, where Rachel had disappeared into, fresh clothes in tow.

"Uhhh… what's the correct answer to that question?" She appeared back around the doorway, looking a little sheepish, but Quinn only rolled her eyes in response.

"There is no correct answer, Rach, I was just curious."

"Oh, okay then. He knows a lot. Pretty much everything up until yesterday morning. But he figured out the way that you felt about me on his own."

"That's fair enough. I'm guessing you're going to tell him we're together? Do I need to brace myself for the 'if you hurt her I'll kill you' talk, again?"

"I can't imagine he'd – wait, did you say _again_?"

"Yep. That first weekend I came up here, when he pulled me aside, he told me not to hurt you again."

"He had no right to do that!"

"Well, he kinda did. I was awful to you, after all, he was just being protective. And I thought it was kind of sweet – I'm glad you have him to look after you."

"And who do _you _have?"

"Are you kidding me? Santana knew about my feelings for you before I even did. She's had my back ever since."

"So she knows everything?"

"Pretty much. Aside from last night. She does know about the kiss, though"

"Fair enough," was all the brunette said before disappearing back into the bathroom. Quinn just waited for her to come back, still trying to work out what she could possibly do that evening to pull off a perfect first date. "You need to borrow some more clothes?"

"Nah, I'll be okay if I'm heading straight home."

"You sure?"

"Yep. But do you have a toothbrush I can borrow?"

"There's a spare one in the cupboard behind the mirror." With another soft smile in Rachel's direction, she collected the clothes that she'd thrown to the floor during her marginal strip-tease last night into her arms and shut the bathroom door behind her.

It only took her five minutes before she was back in Rachel's bedroom once more, the sleepwear the brunette had given her to wear in one hand, feeling much better now that she'd brushed her teeth.

She pulled the waiting diva towards her without a word, letting the clothes fall to the bed as hand hands slid around her waist, pressing their bodies flush together as their lips met. Rachel's hands curled in her hair as the blonde's tongue met her own, a soft moan leaving her mouth as one of Quinn's hands cupped her ass gently.

"Now _that _is a much better way to wake up," Rachel murmured against the blonde's mouth when they parted, both slightly out of breath. Quinn just laughed, tilting her head down to kiss the brunette again, sure that she'd never be able to get enough of the diva's mouth on her own. It felt too perfect – if she could get away with doing it all day, she would.

The blonde soon found herself backed against the wall, not entirely sure how she'd got there, with one the brunette's slender thighs nestled between her own. One of Rachel's hands was still in her hair, but the other skimmed along her side, brushing dangerously close to her breasts, and it was all she could do to tear her mouth away and rest it against the wall behind her, panting slightly.

"Rach, this _really _isn't tak-taking it s-slow," she managed to gasp out, even as hot lips attached to the side of her neck, kissing a blazing trail downwards – her hands fisted in the brunette's shirt, pulling her impossibly closer, and her hips bucked as a moan fell from her lips as Rachel sucked lightly on her thundering pulse point. "_Fuck, _Rach, really not taking it slow."

"_Now _who's talking too much?"

"I'm just doing what you asked me to," she breathed, barely able to think when she could feel every inch of Rachel's body pressed against her, feel the heat of her thigh pressed tightly against her centre, feel her hot breath on the side of her neck – it was too much, completely overwhelming, and she didn't know how she was still standing.

"I know. But you look so _hot_ and all I want to do is pounce on you and - " The brunette cut herself off, biting her lip as her eyes met the blonde's, and the heat in her gaze made Quinn's mouth go dry. "Shutting up now."

"Probably for the best."

"Doing the right thing sucks," Rachel grumbled as she stepped away from the blonde, who only smiled. "Come on, then – we've just proven that we can't be alone in the same room together whilst fully awake without trying to jump each other."

"Only because you're so damn sexy," Quinn murmured into the brunette's ear before stepping past her, pulling the bedroom door open and breezing through the doorway. Rachel soon followed, and they both shot Kurt a smile when he looked up at them from the couch where he was sat reading the newspaper.

"Morning, Kurt!" Rachel called brightly, and his gaze landed on the cheerful brunette, no doubt trying to figure out the reason behind her mood.

"It's hardly morning, Rachel, it's nearly noon."

"Close enough. Quinn, do you want breakfast?" She asked after walking over to the kitchen, inspecting the cupboards and fridge with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Uh…"

"Quinn, don't answer that. She's a terrible cook."

"Kurt Hummel!" The diva spun on her heel with a gasp to glare at her roommate across the room. "That is a lie."

"No, it's not, and you know it. Do you really want to poison poor Quinn just to prove a point?"

"I wouldn't _poison _her," Rachel muttered darkly while the blonde just leant back against the wall and watched the bickering pair with amusement. "Do you not want me to cook for you?" Rachel's gaze found Quinn, and her eyes widened slightly, not liking the focus on her – especially on _this _topic.

"Um. Maybe I should make you something."

"You don't trust my cooking?" Rachel's hands found her hips, as she cocked her head to one side, gaze turned fully on the blonde now. Kurt snickered, apparently happy that the attention was off him now.

"Um, well I can't really say because I've never _tried _it, but…"

"Trust me, you don't want to try it, either," Kurt supplied helpfully from behind her, and Quinn breathed a sigh of relief when Rachel went back to glaring at him instead.

"You both have absolutely _no faith_ in me. I'm appalled." She turned and strode to where Kurt sat, throwing herself down beside him. "Fine, _you_ make something seeing as I'm apparently banned from the kitchen."

"Well, you did almost burn the place down the last time you tried to cook something for me."

"I did _not_!"

"She did," Kurt said to Quinn, nodding and completely ignoring Rachel's outraged look. The blonde just shook her head with a wry smile, crossing the short distance to the kitchen and peering in the fridge, listening as the pair continued their conversation behind her.

"Rach, what do you want?"

"Surprise me."

"That's very helpful, thanks for the input," she called over her shoulder, hearing Kurt's laugh and the brunette's irritated huff. Smile still firmly on her face (she could get used to this morning routine), she pulled out a few ingredients from the fridge and the cupboards before flicking the stove on.

She enjoyed cooking, especially for other people. And today was no exception – in fact, it was probably more enjoyable that cooking for anyone else, because _this _was for the woman she loved. Not that Rachel knew that yet, of course, but still.

Fifteen minutes later she was pulling two plates out of the cupboard, acting like she lived there herself, and calling the brunette over, pushing her plate, filled with three pancakes, over the counter towards her.

"Never made these the vegan way before, so if they suck just tell me." But Rachel was already tucking in, leaving the blonde watching, slightly wide-eyed. "Do you always eat so fast?"

"Only in the mornings," Kurt replied from the couch, now leaning over the back to see what Quinn had been making – he caught the blonde's gaze with a wink, and she smiled back before starting on her own pancakes.

"You are the best girlfriend ever," Rachel eventually spoke when she was already halfway through, causing Quinn's smiled to widen and Kurt to nearly fall off the couch in shock. Both women heard his gasp, and Quinn caught his eye, saw the slightly bewildered look there, but didn't say anything – she'd leave that for Rachel when she left.

"How would you know?" Quinn teased, unable to pass up the opportunity. "You've only ever had one."

"Touché. Should I be offended that you didn't return the compliment? How many _have _you had, anyway?"

"Does it really matter?"

"Yes."

"Two," Quinn sighed, and Rachel's head snapped up, disbelieving brown eyes landing on the blonde's face.

"You can't seriously expect me to believe that since we left high school you've only been in two relationships."

"You were only in one."

"I was _engaged_!"

"And your point is? Look, I wasn't ready for a relationship for a long time, so I didn't get into one. And then I had my first, and disastrous one, in my final year of college, which ended so badly that it put me off for another two years."

"I need to hear more about these women."

"But not _now_."

"Fine." Kurt watched the pair of them quietly from where he was sat, marvelling at just how _well _they fit together. He'd never really noticed it before, but they were pretty damn perfect together. He hadn't seen Rachel looking so relaxed and cheerful for a long time – a _very _long time.

And Quinn… The blonde seemed like a completely different person, a world away from the girl he'd known. It was remarkable – especially seeing as it was _Rachel _that had brought that out in her. Sitting there, watching them interact, the light teasing, he realised that they were a perfect fit. _They're going to be together for a long time_, he thought, realising that it didn't bother him as much as he thought it would have.

"What are you guys doing today?" He asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between the pair as they finished eating. They looked at each other thoughtfully, before Rachel answered him.

"I don't know about this afternoon, but tonight Quinn's taking me out on a date."

"Where to?"

"She won't _tell _me." Kurt grinned, knowing that his roommate wouldn't like that, and watched Quinn merely roll her eyes. He couldn't even be mad that Rachel hadn't told him that the pair were together – he gathered that it had happened sometime yesterday morning, probably when they'd been holed up in Rachel's room.

He suppressed a shudder when he remembered the fact that the door hadn't opened even though there wasn't a lock – the only other explanation was that something, or some_one_ had been pressed against it.

Maybe he wasn't so glad that they were together after all.

"Speaking of tonight, I should probably get going soon so I can plan it."

"Do you _have _to?" Rachel pouted, and Kurt found it hard to find it anything less than adorable – he really needed to stop living vicariously through Rachel's love life and get one of his own.

"Yes, I do. What time does your show finish? I'll come pick you up."

"Mm, about half ten."

"Okay then, I will see you then." The blonde stood up to leave, trying not to look at the brunette for too long for the fear that her resolve to leave would weaken and she wouldn't be able to actually leave.

She was stopped by a hand wrapping around her wrist, and turned with a questioning glance – Rachel merely shot Kurt a nervous glance before closing the little distance between them and pressing a brief, chaste kiss to her lips.

"I'll see you later."

"Bye Kurt!" The blonde called over her shoulder as she turned to leave, trying not to laugh at the slightly stunned look on his face – seeing the former head cheerleader kissing one of the least popular girls in high school was apparently a little too much for him.

She was still smiling when she left the building and stepped out into the brisk air. Today was going to be a good day.

x-x-x

After the blonde had left, Rachel turned to face her roommate, slightly sheepish expression on her face – she probably should have told him about the recent developments between her and Quinn before blurting it out in-front of him, but it had just… slipped out.

"So?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, still leaning over the back of the couch. He didn't look mad, which was a relief – and even if he was, she didn't expect it to last for long. "Girlfriend, huh?"

"I'm so sorry I let it slip like that," she apologised as she made her way over to where he sat, a glass of orange juice in her hand. "I didn't mean to."

"It's fine. I just want details." He winked and she laughed, launching into the events of yesterday, starting with their meeting in Central Park and ending at where they'd made things official before going to bed the previous night. "I can't believe you two are actually together."

"Honestly? Neither can I. I can barely even remember what it was like without her in my life – and she's only been back in it for the past three weeks."

"But you fit well together," Kurt noted, sure enough in the statement after watching the pair interact that morning. If anyone could make things last, he'd come to the conclusion, it was these two.

"You think so?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's obvious how much she cares about you. And I've seen how much you've changed over the last couple of weeks – you're happier. Especially this morning, you were practically glowing."

"So you don't think it's too fast?"

"Rach," Kurt sighed with a roll of his eyes. "It doesn't _matter _what I think, it matters what _you _think."

"But _do _you?"

"I don't know, because I don't know what you're feeling. But considering how long Quinn's been head over heels for you, no, I don't think so. Do you think it's too fast?"

"No, not really. It doesn't feel fast, because when she's with me it's just like… like nothing else exists, there's only the two us, and it just feels so _right_ – better than anything Finn and I ever had, better than I ever thought anything could feel – but then when she's not with me I realise that I was engaged to someone _else_ four weeks ago."

"I guess, when you put it like that… But Rach, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, okay? Just you."

"I know," she sighed, wishing her mind would shut up for once in her life. "I just like getting a second opinion." Kurt grinned, about to reply when he noticed his phone ringing, an unknown number flashing across the screen. Intrigued, he lifted it gingerly to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Uh, hey. It's Quinn. I hope you don't mind me calling – I swiped your number from Rach's phone when she wasn't looking – I was just wondering if you could possibly help me plan my date with her later? I want it to be perfect, is all, and well, you know her better than anyone else, so…"

"Of course I'll help." He motioned to Rachel that he needed to take the call and retreated into his bedroom, falling back on the bed. "Do you know how unreal this is?"

"Me asking for your help to set up a date with Rachel Berry?" Quinn asked dryly, and Kurt realised then that she must feel as weird, talking to him like they were old friends, as he did about her. "Yeah, I know."

"So, what do you want help with?"

"I was wondering if you knew where her favourite restaurant is? I already have an idea for what to do afterwards, but I don't know where we should eat."

"She loves this cute little place on sixth avenue, it's not far from here, actually." He rattled off the address and general directions, and could hear her scribbling it down. "Are you nervous?"

"You have no idea," she muttered darkly back. "I've waited for this moment since I was seventeen; I'm terrified I'm going to mess it up."

"You're not going to mess up, Quinn. She really cares about you. And she's nervous, too."

"Why are you so supportive of the two of us being together? I thought after seeing the look on your face when you first saw us together in her dressing room that you'd be doing everything you could to persuade her to stay the hell away from me."

He was surprised by the direct question, but he supposed it was in Quinn's nature. He mulled it over before he answered, not wanting to lie to the blonde. "Honestly? Because I've seen how much you've changed. It's obvious that you have in every little thing that you. And it's obvious that you care about her. That you _love _her, even."

"Does she know that?" The blonde asked, voice hushed, and, unless he was mistaken, a little scared. There was no denial, which he'd been expecting. She really had changed.

"No, I don't think so. Not yet, anyway. But I can see that you do. I suspected something the first time I saw you with her, I just didn't know what it was. I finally realised what it was when I saw the two of you in bed together the other morning."

"That feels like so long ago."

"I guess a lot has happened since then. But I'm happy for you, Quinn. For the both of you."

"Thank you. That means a lot, coming from you. From her best friend."

"It's just the truth," he shrugged, even though the blonde wasn't there to see it. "I'm going to have to go soon, otherwise Rachel is going to wonder who I was talking to for so long."

"Alright, then," she said with an easy laugh. "Nice talking to you."

"You too. Bye, Quinn." He hung up the phone, still a little astounded that they'd had a conversation without a third party present (and been pleasant the whole way through), before saving her number and making his way back out into the living room.

Rachel was still perched on the couch, tearing her gaze away from the TV where Chicago was playing. "Who was that?"

"Just an old friend," he said vaguely, ignoring her frown. "I'm meeting up with a couple of co-stars from Wicked at half two before rehearsals, if you want to come? It'll be fun."

"I get to _finally _meet the mysterious friends you've been hiding from me?"

"Hardly hiding," he scoffed, glad that his change of subject had suitably distracted her from trying to find out who he'd been speaking to.

"Will the cute guy you have your eye on be there?"

"Yes, Josh will be there, and I _don't _have my eye on him."

"Uh-huh," she murmured unconvincingly, and he rolled his eyes. It was the truth, kind of – Josh was indeed cute, but he wasn't really interested in him that way. He was still too hung up on Blaine, even after they'd been apart for so long. That wasn't to say that if Josh asked him out he'd turn him down, though. It had been a while since he'd been on a date.

"Does that mean you're coming?"

"Obviously. Let me just have a shower and get ready."

x-x-x

Later that night, Quinn Fabray tried to calm her first-date nerve jitters, unsuccessfully. It was eight o'clock, meaning that she had plenty of time before she was due to meet the gorgeous brunette at the theatre, but she still kept glancing at the clock every few minutes which wasn't helping her calm down _at all_.

She'd barely even be able to eat at all once later that afternoon, she'd felt so sick with nerves. Surely, at twenty-three, she shouldn't be so terrified about going on a date. And yet, she was. Her outfit was already picked out and lying on the back of the chair that sat in-front of her desk, a dark blue dress that hugged her curves and stopped mid-thigh that she'd bought a few months ago but had never worn.

Her phone beeped, and she checked it to see a text from Santana. _Freaking the fuck out yet? _Was all it said, and she sighed, both hating and loving that the girl knew her so well.

_Obviously_, she replied, the text taking her back to the phonecall she'd made to her best friend earlier that day, as soon as she was out of Rachel's apartment building…

"_Do you ever work?" She'd asked as soon as the Latina had answered, hearing an amused chuckle in response. _

"_Yep. Just apparently not often anymore. And that's enough about me, Fabray, were you or were you not in bed with a Miss Rachel Berry when I called you this morning?"_

"_I was."_

"_And?"_

"_And nothing."_

"_Nothing happened?"_

"_Well…"_

"_I knew it! I knew you got laid! Knew it."_

"_I did not get laid, Santana. But…" She dragged it out a little, knowing that the other woman was dying to know all the details, and that, much as she asked about it, the brunette wasn't interested so much in the sexual aspect of her and Rachel, but rather the whole relationship – whether she'd admit it or not. _

"_But?"_

"_But she's now my girlfriend." She yanked the phone away from her ear as there was a delighted squeal from her fellow former Cheerio. _

"_Oh my God, Q! That's amazing! I'm so happy for you! But you're gonna have to fill in the blanks for me." And she did, as she decided to take a slight detour and wander through Central Park like she had been doing the previous morning before she'd fatefully seen Rachel jogging past her, looking like she was about to collapse. _

_The blonde smiled at the memory, and while still telling Santana everything she admired the scenery around her, noting that it must look absolutely stunning in the dead of winter, when it was covered in snow. _

"_So, we're going out tonight on our first date," she finished as she turned off one of the numerous paths out of the park and headed for home, wishing she'd worn a warmer coat to Rachel's apartment the previous night. It was _cold_, much colder than she was used to at this time of year in LA. _

"_What are you going to do?"_

"_I have no idea."_

"_Bet you're freaking out about that, huh?"_

"_Yep."_

"_Well, why don't you ask Kurt for some ideas? He probably knows her the best." _

"_That is an excellent idea, S." _

"_Of course it is, I came up with it." Quinn could imagine the cocky smirk that would no doubt be on the brunette's face easily – she hadn't realised it until then, but she really missed her and Brittany, even it had only been a couple of days since she'd seen the pair. But that was still a big change considering she'd used to see them every day, usually for hours at a time. _

"_I'm going to have to go soon, Q, I actually _do _have to leave for work in a bit. But I'll call you later to try and calm you down, okay?"_

"_Alright, S. I'll see you later." _

"_Love ya, blondie."_

"_You too," she murmured before she hung up, knowing that that was the brunette's way of saying 'I miss you, too'. She was back at her apartment building by then, and bounded up the stairs eagerly, ready to start planning for that night, starting with a call to her new girlfriend's roommate/best friend. _

She smiled fondly at the memory, adding it the list of 'what made the Latina the bestest best friend she could have hoped for' as she waited for her reply. She toyed absently with the edge of the duvet on her bed, wishing that she could calm down.

_Get on Skype_, was the only response Santana sent, but the blonde obliged, fetching her laptop and propping it on the bed in-front of her, waiting impatiently for it to boot up. She signed in to Skype as soon as she could, and the familiar ringtone echoed through her room mere minutes later.

"_Yo, Q._" Santana greeted, face filling most of her screen as she accepted the call. _"I thought you being able to see my face would help calm your nerves a little._"

"How thoughtful," she replied dryly, settling back against the pillows thrust against the headboard, but she was already feeling marginally better.

"_It always makes me feel better_." Quinn heard Brittany's soft voice before she appeared on-screen, beside Santana with a huge grin on her face. "_Hi, Quinn."_

"Hey, Britt. You doing okay?"

_"Yeah. San told me that you and Rachel are going out now. We should totally double date."_

"_Oh, my God,_ yes!" Santana sounded almost as excited by the prospect as she had when Quinn had told her that Rachel was her girlfriend earlier that day – which she didn't take as a good sign. "Between me and Berry we can embarrass the shit out of you, Q."

"Which is precisely why it's an awful idea and shouldn't ever happen. Ever."

_"Aw, Q_!" Brittany pouted, looking genuinely put out, and Santana had a Cheshire-cat like grin on her face. "_But why? It'll be_ fun_!"_

"Not necessarily for me, Britt," she mumbled, sure that having Santana and Rachel in the same room, especially after she and Rachel eventually had sex, would be just about the most embarrassing thing that Quinn could even contemplate. Maybe she'd just have to keep the pair separate for as long as possible.

_"So, what are you wearing tonight_?" Quinn hopped off the bed and crossed over to the chair to pick her dress up, tilting the laptop screen so that the pair could examine the outfit in her hand_. "I need to see it on before I can accurately comment on its hotness,_" Santana said simply, and Quinn stifled a laugh at the deadly serious expression on her face.

"Really?"

"_Yeah! Go put it on! You used to ask me if you looked alright for a date in whatever dress you wore all the time back home, why would now be any different? This is what videocalling was _invented_ for."_

"Um, I don't think so."

_"Please, it totally was. Now go put that thing on, Q. Humour me_." With an exaggerated sigh, the blonde turned the screen around so that the couple were looking out at the far wall of her bedroom, and quickly stripped off her sweatpants and tank top and pulled on the clingy dress, zipping up the side smoothly and glancing quickly in the full-length mirror opposite – she had to admit, she looked pretty good.

She hadn't tried it on again since she'd bought it, so it was kind of a relief to know that it did indeed still fit, and she didn't need to frantically search through her closet to find something else suitable.

She turned the screen back around once she was ready, and Santana's dark eyes appraised her critically while Brittany simply wolf-whistled. _"You look hot as fuck, Q,_" the Latina finally spoke, sounding impressed. "_What are you doing with your hair?"_

"I don't know."

_"Curl it. It looks better like that. And it'll give you something to do instead of driving yourself crazy until you have to leave."_ Quinn made a face at the webcam, even though Santana was right, but the brunette just laughed_. "You know it's true, Q!"_

"Not the point." She leaned across to her desk to pull out her curling tongs and plugged them in, resting them on her bedside table while they warmed up. "You don't have to stay on here if you don't want to; I can survive until ten, honest."

_"Hm, we'll see. And we don't have anything else to do; I'm sure watching your pre-first-date meltdown will be just as entertaining as whatever's on the TV tonight."_


	12. Chapter 12

Quinn tugged nervously at the belt of her black coat, wrapped firmly around her waist so that she wasn't revealing too much of herself to the wrong person. She stood waiting beside the back entrance to the theatre, waiting for the guy who was stood on the inside to confirm that she was supposed to be there, and wasn't some form of crazy stalker.

The last time she'd come here without Rachel had been with Brittany and Santana, and the guy then had recognised her after the bust-up she'd had with Finn, but the one on duty now was someone different.

She ran a finger across the bouquet of flowers in her hand, wondering if her impulse to bring the brunette something had been stupid. Maybe she should get rid of them quickly. "You can go inside, Ms. Fabray."

She jumped at the sound of a voice, and the guy who'd stopped her from entering through the door Rachel had instructed her to smiled apologetically as she stepped past him and into the warm interior of the theatre, heading straight for the dressing room of the one and only Rachel Berry.

She paused outside the door, taking a deep breath and trying not to start freaking out again – she didn't have Santana to calm her down now – before knocking lightly on the door. It opened a second later, revealing the tiny brunette, angelic smile on her face as her eyes registered her girlfriend, eyes lighting up when she saw the flowers clutched tightly in the blonde's right hand.

"You bought me roses!"

"Who says they're for you?" The blonde teased, lips quirking into a smile when Rachel mock glared at her. She held the roses out to the brunette, who took them and leant forward to kiss her girlfriend lightly.

"Thank you," she murmured when they parted, skipping over to the huge vanity table that adjourned one wall and grabbing a vase that was already full – albeit with now-dying flowers. The brunette pulled them out and tossed them into the wastebin next to her, replacing them with the roses while the blonde just watched, amused, hands now buried firmly in the deep pockets of her coat.

"Who gave you those?" She asked, gesturing vaguely to the bin when the brunette turned back around.

"They were a congratulations on my amazing review in the New York Times from the cast. You might have heard of the woman that wrote it, she's an absolutely drop-dead-gorgeous blonde, who is also unbelievably hot, and she _just _so happens to be my girlfriend."

"Oh, really? She sounds like an awesome person."

"Yeah, she is." The brunette stalked back up to the blonde, her fingers hooking through the beltloops in Quinn's coat. "And she's all _mine_." When she spoke the last word she tugged the blonde forward so that their hips and lips met at the same moment, the brunette's tongue diving straight into the blonde's mouth, groaning slightly at the taste of her mouth – she could never get enough of kissing Quinn Fabray. Never, ever.

"Rach, I hate to put a stop to this, but I made a reservation and we're going to be late if you don't keep your mouth to yourself."

"Mm, but what if I don't want to?" She purred, seeing the blonde's breath catch and smirking, loving the fact that she had such a visible effect on the taller woman.

"Then we'll be late. And my perfectly planned evening with go to waste."

"_Fine_," the diva sighed, dropping her hands from Quinn's body and spinning around, stalking back over to the vanity table. "Go outside while I get changed."

"Do I _have_ to?" Quinn whined, having noticed that her girlfriend was still in the clothes that she wore during her last scene on stage, and secretly hoping that she was going to get a repeat sight of the brunette in her underwear.

"Quinn Fabray. _Out_side." With one last pout over her shoulder the blonde obliged, shutting the door firmly behind her and leaning against the wall beside it, pulling her phone out and turning it on silence – she didn't want any texts or phonecalls ruining her evening.

"Hey! Quinn, right?" The blonde glanced up at the sound of the voice to see Rachel's co-star, Jake, grinning at her. "How are you?"

"Good thanks, yourself?"

"I'm alright. So, are you an official New York citizen now?"

"As of last Saturday, yeah."

"That's cool. So, I was wondering…" He trailed off, looking nervously down at the floor, and Quinn prayed that when he looked back up again he wasn't going to say what she thought he was. "I was wondering if, um, you'd like to go out some time."

_Yep, that's what I was expecting._

Quinn let the question hang there in the air for a moment, unsure of what to say – obviously it was a no, but Jake seemed like an alright guy, and she didn't want to let him down too harshly. As she searched for a suitable answer, Rachel's dressing room door banged open and the brunette stood framed in the doorway, light grey coat open over a sinfully short red dress that made Quinn's eyes widen and mouth water.

_Those legs. Jesus Christ, how am I supposed to survive the night when she looks like _that?!

When her eyes eventually travelled back up to Rachel's face, she saw that the other woman looked far from happy. In fact, she looked absolutely furious, and Quinn gulped, even though she didn't think she'd done anything wrong.

"Hey, Jake," the diva said, seemingly through gritted teeth, and the poor guy's eyes flickered to the brunette, and, noticing the death glare, looked hastily away again. "What were you guys talking about?"

"Nothing."

"I was just asking Quinn here if we wanted to go out with me sometime." They both answered at the same time, and it finally clicked for Quinn, why the brunette looked so pissed off – she was _jealous_. She almost smirked, but then she noticed the daggers still being shot her way and quickly schooled her expression to something more neutral.

"Oh _really_. And what was your answer, Quinn? Hmm?" The blonde opened her mouth, but no answer came out – she was too terrified about saying the wrong thing. Jake, bless him, looked absolutely stunned, having no idea what was going on.

"I didn't have a chance to answer before you interrupted, Rach," Quinn ventured, after a few seconds of heavy silence.

"And what _is _your answer?" The brunette arched an eyebrow at the wary blonde and inclined her head sharply to the third party present, her intent clear.

"I'm sorry, Jake," she muttered, and he just nodded, but apparently Rachel wasn't satisfied with that.

"She's not available tonight, Jake, or any other night as far as I'm concerned, because she's dating _me_." Quinn's eyebrows raised, a little surprised that the brunette was being so open considering they hadn't even been out once. Jake was apparently also surprised, because his eyes widened at the brunette's admission.

"Oh, shit, I'm sorry Rach, I had no idea she was with you, I'm really sorry. I never would have asked her out if I knew. I - " The poor guy was tripping over his words, he looked so scared, and this time the blonde couldn't stop a smile from breaking through, finding the whole thing hilarious now that some of the tension had been broken.

"That's quite alright, Jake," the brunette cut him off, eyes still trained on him. "You can go now." He quickly turned and headed in the opposite direction, practically running, and Quin's grin widened.

"You know," she husked, turning to the still glaring brunette beside her. "You're kinda hot when you're jealous."

"You sounded like you were _considering saying yes to him_!"

"Rach," Quinn started, voice laden with exasperation as she tried not to roll her eyes. "You are the only one for me. You have _always_ been the only one for me. I was just trying to let him down easy, because he seemed like an alright guy. Okay?"

"Fine."

"Definitely hot," the blonde murmured, leaning down to steal a kiss of the brunette, who's expression softened. "Can we go, now? Reservations." She tapped her watch, on her left wrist, with the index finger of her right hand, and Rachel mumbled something that the blonde couldn't quite hear. "I'll take that as a yes, then."

Rachel shut the door to her dressing room behind her, allowing the brunette to lead her back through the side door she'd entered through, linking her arm with the blonde, still craving her touch.

"I have to admit," the blonde broke the comfortable silence between them as they started down the sidewalk towards the restaurant Kurt had recommended to her. "I didn't expect you to be so open about our relationship straight away."

"Well, I don't see the point in hiding it."

"Even though you were engaged to a guy a month ago." Rachel merely shrugged, biting her lip as she considered the question carefully.

"I don't care what other people think. I know that I want to be with you, that right now, this is what I need, and if anyone else has a problem with that, then they can fuck off." Quinn grinned at the use of language from the shorter woman, not used to it – and also thinking of how sexy it would sound to have Rachel swearing underneath her while they were having sex. She shook her head in an effort to chase those thoughts away, but the brunette must have seen the faraway look in her eyes. "Where did you just go?"

"Trust me when I say it's probably best that I don't ask you to explain."

"Mm, but now I _want _you to." Quinn hastily looked away from Rachel's smouldering gaze, focusing on not getting them lost – having to ask the other woman for directions would definitely ruin the surprise. Not that she expected that the brunet wouldn't figure it out before they got there, but still. "Where are we going?"

"Not telling you."

"That's not _fair_!" Quinn grinned at the indignation in her voice, pulling her quickly across to the other side of the street as the lights turned red. The night air was chilly, but she could feel the warmth of Rachel's body, pressed close to hers, even through the thick padding of her coat.

"Just shut up and walk."

"Telling me to shut up on our first date? Is that how you treat all your girlfriends?"

"I told you, I only ever had two girlfriends."

"How long did they last for?"

"Not long," Quinn answered vaguely, steering them down another street, almost wishing that they were back on the topic of their destination for the evening.

"Why?"

"Because they weren't you," the blonde sighed, seeing no point in being dishonest. Rachel mulled the answer over for a while in her mind before speaking again, and unless Quinn was mistaken, there was a faint hint of jealously in her voice.

"But… When you first came here, that first day, when Puck rang you, he was… He asked if you'd mind if he dated your ex. And you said you would mind. You sounded like it bothered you." Quinn sighed again, wishing that the brunette didn't remember every little detail about their meetings – but that would be hypocritical of her, considering the blonde remembered all of their interactions in vivid detail, way back to the day they'd first met.

_It had been the first day of high school, and Quinn Fabray, having undergone the dramatic transformation from overweight, un-athletic middle schooler to slim, pretty cheerleader, had been striving to claw her way to the top of the social ladder, starting immediately._

_It was almost easy, to fit in now. Before, she'd been nervous, had no friends, but now? Now that she looked the way she did it was simple – everyone noticed her. She'd even noticed some of the senior boys' eyes strayed towards her as she'd patrolled the school halls as though she owned them already, knowing that one day she would. _

_It wasn't until fourth period that their paths had crossed, in Math class, and the blonde had stalked into the classroom, her two future Cheerios/best friends Santana and Brittany flanking her, having quickly realised who the popular girl of their year was going to be._

_Quinn's eyes had strayed over to the back of the room as she'd debated on where to sit, gaze finding a tiny brunette sat in the corner, huddled over her textbook. Something about her reminded the blonde of how she'd used to be, before she'd changed for the better, and almost wanted to reach out to the girl. Almost. _

_But then Santana had smirked after her gaze had followed the blonde's, and strode over to the brunette's desk, snatching the textbook away and revealing the sheet music underneath, notes written in cramped handwriting littering the page. _

_Quinn had merely watched, knowing exactly what it felt like to be in the brunette's position, but desperately unwilling to sacrifice her social status so soon, so recklessly – for a girl she didn't even know. _

"_Give that _back_," the brunette had snapped, a glint of defiance shining in her eyes when her head lifted, and Quinn had to admire that, the fact that she wasn't backing down as the Latina grabbed the sheet music, throwing the textbook back onto the desk with a bang._

"_Make me, Berry," Santana taunted, throwing herself into the seat in-front of the brunette, eyes scanning the page, cruel smirk still on her mouth. _

"_Santana!" The brunette leant forward and made a grab for her paper, yanking it out of the future cheerleaders grasp easily and shoving it quickly into her bag, ignoring the furious glare Santana directed her way as she spun around in the chair to glare at her. _

_The teacher had walked in then, preventing whatever retaliation the Latina had been planning, saving the girl, and Quinn had followed Brittany into the seats beside Santana's desk. Quinn had thrown the girl one last glance before directing her eyes at the front of the class, wondering why she cared so much about someone she'd just met – and immediately writing it off as mere empathy. _

Oh, how wrong she'd been. It hadn't been empathy – it had been a desire to protect her out of immediate attraction. It was mildly amusing to look back now, to see how blatantly repressed she'd been, wondering at how no-one, even herself, had figured it out.

Well, aside from Santana and apparently Finn – she still didn't quite understand how a Neanderthal like him had figured it out, but then again, Rachel had been his girlfriend. Maybe he'd noticed Quinn staring at her ass with increasing frequency as they'd approached graduation.

"Quinn?" Rachel's voice cut through her thoughts, and she jumped, having been completely lost in her mind.

"Sorry. What were you saying?"

"I was asking why you sounded like it bothered you. When Puck was talking about asking your ex out."

"Oh." _I see we're still on the subject of my past lovers. Wonderful_. "It didn't bother me because I still had feelings for her, if that's what you're worried about. I never loved her, which is why we weren't together for very long – it wasn't fair to her. But we became good friends; I wouldn't want her to get hurt by Puck being a dick to her."

"I'm assuming that means he still hasn't settled down?"

"Are you kidding me? I still don't think he's ever had a serious, adult relationship."

"You talk often, then? You haven't mentioned him much, is all."

"Not really, no." Quinn steered them down a street just a few blocks away from the restaurant, noticing that Rachel's head lifted, taking in her surroundings, probably clicking that she knew where they were, but didn't comment on it. "To be honest, we mostly end up arguing when we're together. I can take him in small doses, but after that it usually goes downhill."

"Quinn."

"Rachel."

"Where are we going?" The blonde merely sighed, refusing to answer, tugging the brunette along faster. "Are we going where I think we're going?"

"Will you just be quiet and let me _try _and surprise you?"

"_Fine_." They rounded the last corner soon enough, the little neon sign in the window of the restaurant shining brightly. "Ohmygod Quinn I had no idea we were coming here!" The brunette exclaimed dramatically as they stopped outside, and the blonde paused as she turned to face her, one eyebrow raised.

"Aren't you supposed to be an actress? Because that was the _worst _pretend surprise that I have ever been unfortunate enough to experience."

"You're a jerk."

"Yep, but I'm _your_ jerk. Aren't you lucky?" Quinn ducked out of the way as Rachel moved to smack at her arm, pulling the door open and holding it until the brunette slipped through, quickly following.

Inside it was still busy, even at the late hour. They were shown to their table quickly, the waitress handing them their menus and taking their drinks orders before slinking away. "How did you know about this place?"

"Kurt. I called him and asked him where you liked to frequent."

"You did?" Quinn nodded, eyes scanning the menu, missing the soft smile on Rachel's face as she watched her girlfriend – Finn had certainly never bothered to take the time to ask what her favourite place to eat was. He hadn't even asked her herself. "Would it be really presumptuous of me to order for you?"

"How do you know what I'll like?" Hazel met brown as the blonde looked up, a hint of a challenge in her gaze.

"Because I know you."

"Okay, then. But if I don't like it…" She trailed off, biting her lip thoughtfully, as she titled her head to one side, resting her chin on her palm as she observed the brunette. "You're paying for the meal."

"So, you asked me out, but are planning on making me foot the bill?"

"Ah, only if I don't like what you order for me. And seeing as you know me so well, you shouldn't have to worry, should you?"

"How will I know you're not going to lie and say you don't like it even if you do?" The brunette's eyes narrowed, a tiny crease forming between her eyebrows – Quinn thought it was adorable.

"I'm not going to lie, Rach. I've been nothing but honest with you prior to this, I'm not planning on changing that."

"Okay, then. We have a deal." Quinn's lips twitched into a smile as she closed her menu, handing it to the brunette as the waitress came back with their drinks – sparkling water for Rachel and a Diet coke for Quinn (they both wanted to stay relatively sober that evening, so decided not to drink until after they'd eaten). "I will have the ravioli, and she will have the mushroom risotto," Rachel ordered, the waitress writing it down before taking their menus and retreating again, leaving them alone.

"You ever going to show me the dress you're hiding under that coat?" Rachel asked with a suggestive quirk of her eyebrow. Quinn just laughed, having kept it on due to the slight chill inside, but obliged the brunette, standing to undo the tied belt and sliding it from her shoulders, smirking at the way Rachel's jaw dropped as her eyes raked down her figure, lingering for a moment at her legs and then for longer on her chest.

"My eyes are up here, Rach," she teased, fully enjoying the way the other woman was admiring the view, smirking again when a gorgeous blush covered the brunette's cheeks as she tore her gaze away. "So, what did you do today after I left?"

"Not much. I went with Kurt to hang out with his castmates from Wicked, _finally_."

"You have a good time?"

"The best. They were all really nice, and I also got to tease Kurt about the hot guy that he has to work with, which is just payback for the way he teases me about you."

"Oh?"

"Nope, not telling you what."

"Oh, come on. There's _no way _he's worse than Santana. Some of the things that girl comes out with…"

"She's funny, though."

"Yeah, and a pain in the ass." But there was a playful note to the blonde's voice – she might complain about her fiery friend, but she couldn't be without the Latina.

Their food came then, cutting off any further conversation whilst they ate – the brunette sitting with a self-satisfied smirk for the entire meal after Quinn had begrudgingly admitted that the risotto Rachel had ordered for her was good.

When they were finished the blonde wasted little time before asking for the bill, earning a curious glance from the woman on the other wise of the table. "So keen to get rid of me?"

"Not at all. But we have other places to go – the night it still young."

"It's ten past eleven."

"Precisely." She scanned the bill quickly when it was brought, checking that it was right – a habit that she'd picked up from her parents, regrettably – before placing down the correct money and a few extra dollars for a tip. "Follow me," she murmured as she slid gracefully to her feet, pulling her coat back on and then extending her arm to the brunette, linking their hands as they left the restaurant.

"Where are we going now?"

"You'll see," Quinn replied, excitement lacing her tone – this was the part of the night that she'd been looking forward to the most. And she thought that the brunette would appreciate it, too, though she'd probably been somewhere similar before.

But Quinn hadn't, which meant that she felt almost giddy as they walked the few short blocks to their destination, their hands intertwined the whole time. It was dark, the cold a reminder that winter was fast approaching, and the blonde wondered absently if it would snow – she hadn't seen snow for ages, not since the last winter she'd spent in New Haven. It felt like years ago.

"Quinn seriously, _where _are we going? I don't know this neighbourhood, it could be dodgy. We could get _stabbed_."

"Seriously, Rach?" She fought off a laugh, knowing that the brunette wasn't being serious – she was just trying to get the blonde to divulge where they were headed.

"You suck." Quinn merely hid a smile, turning the last corner and seeing the flashing sign outside of where they were headed – but Rachel didn't notice, she was too busy continuing to rant.

"We're here," the blonde said, pulling them to a standstill outside a nondescript door, the windows on either side blacked out. Rachel's head cocked to one side, reading the writing scrawled in white writing along the aforementioned windows, letting out a squeal of delight when she realised where they were, so loud that the blonde winced.

"Quinn! You brought me to a piano bar! You're the _best_ I _love _these places!" She leapt forward to envelop the blonde in a hug, but it didn't last long – the next second Quinn was being yanked through the door by a very excited Rachel Berry.

The woman was practically bouncing with happiness.

Inside, it was dark, the place crammed with people, and Rachel wound through the tables, the blonde in tow, until they reached the bar where a couple of stools were free. They hopped up and the brunette ordered two fancy-sounding cocktails.

"Are you ordering everything for me from now on?" Quinn asked, amused when the brunette blushed in response.

"I'm sorry, I - "

"I was _kidding_." The barman shoved their drinks towards them and the brunette paid, ignoring Quinn's protests, sliding one of the cocktails over to her without another word, sipping from her own, eyes on the front of the bar.

There was a stage, where two grand pianos sat facing each other – one a beautiful ebony, the other a gorgeous ivory – but only one of them was occupied, by a guy who looked to be in his mid-forties.

In-between the two pianos stood a microphone stand, but there was currently no-one singing. Behind it, on the backdrop of the stage hung a sign that proclaimed _'Open mic night'_. Quinn watched Rachel's eyes zero in on the words, and smiled softly – that was the reason she'd chosen this bar, instead of the several others in the city. She wanted to hear the brunette sing, almost desperately so – even though she'd watched her perform in Spring Awakening recently, she still wanted more.

A woman from the crowd approached the stage gingerly and spoke quietly to the musician sat behind the piano, who nodded jovially in response to whatever she asked. Moments later she was stood in the stage, microphone clutched tightly in-between her palms, looking slightly terrified.

She looked around the same age as Quinn and Rachel, pale and with red hair that shone in the lights that danced around the edge of the stage as the pianist started playing. Quinn recognised the tune immediately, it was on her iPod, and let her gaze rest on the woman sat beside her, watching with rapt attention as the girl on stage broke into her own rendition of _My Immortal_ by Evanescence.

She was an excellent singer, Quinn had to admit, but she had nothing on Rachel. Maybe she was just biased, but even so. When the song finished the crowd in the bar erupted into loud applause, and the girl hurried off the stage after a nervous half-bow, still looking a little pale.

"Is there a protocol in these places?" Rachel asked, leaning close to the blonde to whisper in her ear.

"I don't know, I've never been before. I figured you had."

"I have, but never to an open mic one." Someone else wandered up to the stage while they were talking, a guy who looked far too young to be in a bar. He sauntered cockily over to the microphone after making his song choice, and launched into a version of _Mr Cellophane _that made Quinn cringe a little – he wasn't _bad_, he just wasn't that good, either.

Rachel was practically already half-way off her stool when yet another person came on-stage, and the blonde the brunette sink sadly back into her seat, looking a little bit like a lost puppy.

"What are you going to sing?" The blonde asked over whatever song was currently being a little bit ruined on stage, a little bit curious. Rachel turned to her with serious brown eyes, drink forgotten long ago.

"Don't Rain On My Parade. It's my signature song, Quinn. These people will love my version of it, I'm sure." The blonde shook her head wryly, laughing as Rachel shot off her seat before the poor guy had even finished singing, though she did at least wait until he'd exited the stage before moving over to the pianist.

Unlike the other people before her, they seemed to be having an in-depth conversation, lasting for a few minutes until Rachel couldn't keep away from the stage much longer. Before the pianist started, he leaned into the microphone that hung over the edge of the piano and spoke into it, voice echoing around the bar.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know if any of you have been to Broadway lately, but if you do I recommend you go and see the wonderful performance of Spring Awakening that's on right now. And this lady right here is the star of the show, and she's going to sing for us tonight."

Quinn smiled proudly as the brunette caught her eye from the stage, her fingers dancing along the stand that the microphone rested in. Some people would take that as a sign of nervousness, but Quinn knew that wasn't the case – she was just impatient to begin her song.

"Take it away, Rachel," the musician called as his fingers started moving over the keys – the blonde knew it must be difficult to play this song purely on the piano, especially without any sheet music that she could see – but she could only concentrate on the brunette.

She was completely enraptured – not helped by the fact that she was staring directly at the blonde the entire time she was singing, her eyes blazing with the passion she felt for singing, for being on stage, in-front of a crowd, doing exactly what she loved doing most in the world.

It took Quinn's breath away.

The whole place erupted into applause when the last note had finished ringing, Quinn joining in enthusiastically, grinning like an idiot. _I am so whipped_, she thought, but she didn't care. How could she, when she was dating the most amazing and talented woman that she'd ever met?

"I don't know about you guys, but after that I'd sure like an encore," the pianist spoke, and Rachel blushed. "How about it?"

"Actually… I'd like to invite someone on stage with me." Quinn's head snapped up, eyes landing on the brunette, seeing the smug smile on her face, and only one thought came to mind – _oh shit_. She wasn't a very good singer, not really, and _definitely _not when compared to the likes of Rachel Berry.

"Oh? Someone special?"

"Yes, actually. My girlfriend." Quinn debated whether she could get away with making a dash for the door without Rachel noticed, wondering whether it was worth the wrath of the brunette if she left her here alone.

Probably not.

"And where is she?"

"She's the blonde at the bar looking like she's wishing for the ground to swallow her whole." The crowd laughed, and Quinn made a face at the brunette on stage, who grinned at her. "Come _on_, Quinn. Don't make me come over there. You know I will."

More laughter followed that comment, and with a heavy sigh Quinn downed the last of her drink, figuring having a little extra alcohol in her system wouldn't hurt right about now, and walked up the stage filled with trepidation.

Rachel met her at the side, taking her hand and pulling her towards the ebony piano. The guy grinned, holding out his hand to the blonde, who took managed to force a smile. "Hi, Quinn, I'm Johnny. You look terrified."

"That's because I am."

"Oh come on, we sang on stage with glee club together all the time!"

"That was years ago! And after loads of rehearsals! And I wasn't singing solo beside _you_, the best singer I have ever met."

"You're rambling."

"I don't like you."

"You're adorable." Johnny watched the exchange with a smile on his face – it was obvious how much these two cared about each other, and that was something that he loved to see. "Well why don't you pick the song, will that make you feel better?"

"No." The blonde glared, and Rachel pouted, and Quinn let out a frustrated groan. "You're not allowed to do that, it's not fair."

"Then sing with me! Just once, I promise. Pick a song. Please?"

"What song?"

"I don't know. Your favourite one."

"If I could make a suggestion," Johnny interrupted, seeing that their conversation could go on for a while without them coming to an agreement. "Why don't you pick a song that you can really relate to. Then you might not be so nervous. That what I usually tell the unfortunate partner that gets dragged up on stage to sing with their other half." He winked at the blonde and she laughed, mulling over his words before replying.

"Okay, how about A Thousand Years?" She turned to Rachel, who was looking at her strangely. "You know it?"

"Yeah."

"Go get 'em then," Johnny said encouragingly, shooting the blonde one last sympathetic smile (she really did look like she was about to throw up), before settling back into his piano stool, fingers already hovering over the keys.

Quinn stepped onto the stage, hand tightly holding onto Rachel's, as a second mic was brought forward and placed in-front of her. She released her vice-like grip on the brunette in order to rest lightly on the mic, trying to force her fingers to stop trembling.

Rachel shot her an encouraging glance as the notes started, and Quinn took a deep breath, letting the familiar music resonate within in and calm her down. This was a song that she'd heard countless times before, one that reminded her specifically of one thing – Rachel.

She channelled that, bringing forth the emotion she usually felt whenever she played it – it had been released around the time that the brunette had gotten back together with Finn, and she'd spent countless nights crying herself to sleep with this song playing in her ears.

She brought that forward, and she glanced to her side, towards the brunette who's eyes never left her face, the beautiful woman that now, impossibly, was her girlfriend. She felt it all, drowned in that emotion – and she sang.

_Heart beats fast_

_Colors and promises_

_How to be brave?_

_How can I love when I'm afraid to fall_

_But watching you stand alone?_

_All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow_

_One step closer_

Her eyes flickered from where they'd been fixed on the opposite wall of the bar, determinedly not making eye-contact with any of the people sat in-front of her, watching, back to the brunette as they sang the chorus together, their voices mixing together in a perfect harmony.

_I have died everyday waiting for you_

_Darling don't be afraid I have loved you_

_For a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

The blonde quieted at the second verse, letting Rachel's voice shine through, focusing on that and using it to ground her, starting to feel a little better about the situation she'd managed to find herself in, even starting to enjoy herself a little.

_Time stands still_

_Beauty in all she is_

_I will be brave_

_I will not let anything take away_

_What's standing in front of me_

_Every breath_

_Every hour has come to this_

_One step closer_

The blonde joined back in at the second chorus, even smiling a little as their eyes met yet again, reminding herself to focus on her breathing – it was incredibly difficult to concentrate on that _and _singing when Rachel was looking at her like that.

_I have died everyday waiting for you_

_Darling don't be afraid I have loved you_

_For a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

_And all along I believed I would find you_

_Time has brought your heart to me_

_I have loved you for a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

_One step closer_

_One step closer_

_I have died everyday waiting for you_

_Darling don't be afraid I have loved you_

_For a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

_And all along I believed I would find you_

_Time has brought your heart to me_

_I have loved you for a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

Rachel held the last note for longer than Quinn possibly could, but when the music came to a stop everyone broke into a wilder applause than before, some people even standing up, and Quinn was blown away, smile widening as she turned to face the brunette beauty beside her.

"Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" She teased, voice too low for the microphones to pick up.

"Shut up." The brunette laughed, stepping closer to press a gentle kiss to the blonde's cheek, as Johnny's voice echoed around the bar again.

"I think I speak for everyone when I say that was the best performance of the night. Can we persuade you to do another, Quinn?"

"Definitely not," she said, leaning forward so the mic would pick it up, and Johnny, Rachel, and from the sounds of it most of the bar patrons too, broke into laughter. "I'm sure Rachel would, though."

She stepped off the stage as quick as she could, weaving her way back to her seat as music started again – she recognised another of Rachel's favourite songs, _Defying Gravity_, and settled back down into her seat, content to watch the brunette sing her heart out again.

It was a perfect ending to a more than perfect night.

**A/N**:

**_Thanks again to everyone who's reviewed/followed, you're all awesome!_**

**_I don't own the song A Thousand Years (unfortunately), or any of the other songs mentioned in this chapter._**

**_Hope you all enjoyed their date! _**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:  
So I have absolutely no idea how something like the NYT would actually be structured etc, so this is all my interpretation of it. I've written way ahead in this story, now, and the next few chapters are rather fluffy, so I hope you're up for that if you're still reading ;) **

**Reveiws are always welcome; enjoy: **

_Five days later: _

Quinn stood in-front of the New York Times building at eight sharp on Monday morning, exactly fifteen minutes early. She looked up at the skyscraper with slight trepidation, feeling incredibly nervous. Her phone, held tightly in her hand, vibrated sharply once, and she glanced down to see a text from the woman she'd left to sleep in her bed that morning.

_Hey beautiful, you'd better not be freaking out right now – you deserve to be there, so don't be thinking you don't. You'll be awesome, and I'll pick you up at seven so we can go get dinner before we head to see Wicked. Have fun! xx_

She smiled at the screen of her phone, shoving it into the pockets of her black slacks and taking a deep breath, Rachel's words having made her feel marginally better, as did the memory of waking up next to her just over an hour ago.

Things had been going great with them, even if they had only been together for six days. But they'd spent as much of that time as possible together, knowing that it would get more difficult to find the time once Quinn started her job. She was working nine to five for four days a week, but finished at three on a Friday, which she was grateful for. It did mean though, that when combined with the brunette's busy schedule, they'd only have time briefly in the mornings and late at night, after Rachel's show had finished – which wasn't ideal.

But they'd manage – of that, Quinn was sure. She loved the tiny diva too much to let anything come between them.

Deciding that she'd spent far too much time staring at the intimidating huge glass double doors that served as the entry into the building, Quinn took another deep breath and started up the three steps that led up to the doors hesitantly, pushing them open and stepping into the marble-floored lobby.

Even though she'd been here before, it felt different this time, now that she didn't have someone who already worked here beside her. She made her way over to the huge desk that lined one wall, towards the smiling receptionist that sat behind it – no-one should look so happy at this time in the morning, she decided.

"Can I help you?" She asked, still smiling but looking a little confused, probably wondering what the blonde was doing here.

"Um, I think so, I was told to come to reception."

"Oh!" Recognition flashed in the woman's steel grey eyes. "Are you Quinn Fabray?"

"Yeah." The receptionist nodded to herself, fingers flying over the keys of her keyboard, before reaching into a desk drawer and pulling out a folder. Quinn tapped her fingers nervously against the desktop as she waited.

"Here you go," the woman said eventually, handing over a keycard that had a blank picture slot in it, as well as a keyring that contained two keys. "The card is to get you into the elevator, and the keys are to the building, in-case you need to come in early for any reason and the door's locked, and the other is for your office."

"Thanks," the blonde murmured in reply, extending a hand to take the items being offered to her.

"If you go up to your floor – the fifteenth – go to the head's office, I think you've already met him? He'll tell you what to do next."

"Thanks a lot." The blonde flashed the woman a quick smile before heading for the two elevators that stood on the opposite end of the lobby, sliding her new keycard into the slot on the wall and pressing the up button.

The doors slid open a second later and she stepped inside, pressing the button for the fifteenth floor and leaning back against the hardwood wall, finding comfort in the whirring noise that elevator made as it moved upwards.

The doors chimed and opened, revealing the floor that would be her home for as long as she worked here. She stepped out onto the plush blue carpeted floor, ignoring the curious gaze of the receptionist that sat behind the desk here – why a single floor needed its own seperate lobby, she didn't know.

Beyond was a hallway lined with doors to offices, the boardroom at the opposite end, the manager's office beside it, and that was where she headed, knocking lightly on the polished wood and stepping inside once she heard a 'come in' from inside.

"Quinn! You're early." The manager was the same guy who had hired her, Michael, and he was about fifty years old, with kindly green eyes and a receding hairline. "Come in, sit." She sat on the available chair on the other side of the desk he sat behind, noting the early copies of articles that lined the surface, wondering how soon it would be before her own lay there. "How are you feeling?"

"Nervous," she answered honestly, and he smiled sympathetically at her.

"Yes, I remember my first day here, it was quite intimidating. But not to worry, you'll soon feel like you fit right in. Now, as for what you're going to be doing today. I thought it might be easier for you to adjust if you could shadow someone for the first week, would that work for you?"

"Absolutely, sir."

"Call me Michael, Quinn, please – sir makes me feel older than I am." He winked and the blonde smiled, feeling a little more at ease. "I've chosen Lee for the job; he started here about two years ago and works mostly in editing. I know you're more of a writer, but with him you'll get to see the process of how we go from article to page, things might be different here from what you're used to in LA."

"That makes sense," she nodded, and Michael smiled again, grabbing the phone that sat on his desk and punching in a few numbers.

"I'll call Lee in now," he said by way of explanation, before speaking into the receiver. "Whenever you're ready, Lee, come on in." It was only a few moments later when there was a soft knock on the door and it opened to reveal a guy who looked about thirty, with glasses perched precariously on the edge of his nose, and brown hair that looked like it hadn't been brushed since he got out of bed that morning.

"Reporting for duty," he aimed at his boss, mock-saluting, and both Quinn and Michael laughed – the blonde just glad that everyone seemed to easy-going.

"Lee, this is Quinn. Quinn, Lee." He came to perch in the chair next to hers, shaking her hand after he was sat down. "She's going to be your shadow for a week. Quinn, if you have any questions, ask, either Lee or myself. If you could come see me on Friday before you go home for the weekend, then I'll set you up with what I want you to start on next week, but I'm sure I'll see you around before then."

"Thank you," the blonde said sincerely, catching the dismissal and rising to her feet, taking Michael's outstretched hand and shaking it firmly.

"I hope you'll be happy here, Quinn."

"I'm sure I will." She flashed him one of her dazzling smiles before following Lee out of the door, back down the hallway until he stopped outside of a closed door, the name plaque on the back indicating that it was his office.

"I know you've got your own office but you'll be spending most of your time in here this week, I'm afraid," he started amicably, pushing open the door and indicating that the blonde should take a seat on the small two-seater sofa that was pushed against one wall. "I've not really got much on today, apart from editing a few different articles – you can help, if you want?"

"Sure, what do you look for specifically?" And so her day went. It wasn't too bad, though she did miss actually writing – but that would come soon. Lee was an alright guy, chatty without being obnoxious, and not asking too many questions, which she appreciated.

They got on pretty well, and she was glad – the last thing she wanted was to be stuck with someone she couldn't stand for a week. They stopped working at one to head for lunch (they had an hour for it), and Quinn put aside the pages she'd been reading, now lined with notes in her handwriting, red pen scrawled in the margins – she found editing to be easy, but it got a little boring after a while.

"What do you do for lunch here?" The blonde asked, stretching as she climbed to her feet, wincing as her should cracked loudly.

"There's a cafeteria on the next floor up that we can use, or you can go eat somewhere else so long as you're back in time."

"But you're heading upstairs?"

"Yeah, I usually do on a Monday. I like to move as little as possible at the start of the week."

"Then I will stick with you so I don't get lost." Lee grinned as she stepped out of his office door, locking it behind him before leading the blonde towards the stairwell that was hidden behind a nondescript door beside the two elevators.

The cafeteria was huge, taking up pretty much the whole floor. A counter occupied one wall, and the opposite was entirely windows, offering an astounding view of the entire city, better even than the one that Quinn's apartment afforded her. The floor was lined with tables of varying lengths, people scattered about them, the place alive with the sound of quiet conversation.

Quinn followed Lee over to the counter, she buying a salad and he getting some form of sandwich, before they sat down as a table beside the window. "So, Quinn, you moved to the city for this job?"

"Yeah, I lived in LA before."

"Where are you from?"

"Ohio. Then I went to college at Yale and moved to LA when I finished up there, and came here a week ago."

"Bet it's different here."

"Completely. A lot colder, for one, and a lot busier. But I'm really starting to love it here." Her thoughts fled immediately to a certain brunette then, wondering just where she'd be had she not been pushed to apply for this job.

Certainly not as happy as she was now.

"You leave anyone special behind in LA?"

"Not romantically. Just my two best friends, which was pretty difficult, but I'm hoping they're going to eventually move out here, too."

"So you're single?" She glanced up at that, but he didn't look like he was saying it in a suggestive way, he just looked honestly curious.

"No, I'm not." The reply wasn't necessarily brusque, but it was delivered in a tone that left little room for any further questions. She didn't like talking about her personal life all that much, apart from with Santana – to anyone else, it was off-limits. "How about you?"

"I've been dating my girlfriend for three years now. I'm actually thinking about proposing soon." Quinn congratulated herself at successfully distracting her colleague, and turned the questions back on him, feeling it was about time she learned a little more about the guy she was going to be spending most of the week with.

When her phone went off she apologised to him but he waved it off, indicating she could answer it. Santana's name flashed across the screen, and Quinn smiled as she answered the call, turning slightly to look out the window as she spoke.

"Hey, S."

"_Q! You've been avoiding me."_

"I have not."

_"Yeah, you have. I haven't heard from you since that brief call on Thursday to tell me your date with Berry was a success. That hurts, Q. It hurts bad._" The Latina was teasing, but Quinn could tell she was being serious, too, and felt a pang of guilt.

"I'm sorry, S. I've just been busy."

_"Too busy for me?"_

"I promise I'll start calling more often."

_"Every fucking day, Q. So, how's the job going?"_

"Okay. Everyone I've met so far seems really nice."

_"That's good. Nailed Berry yet?"_ Quinn rolled her eyes, having been expecting a similar question – that was just the way Santana was.

"No. I bet that's the only reason you called, really."

_"Damn, you caught me._" Quinn heard a shout from the background, and the brunette muttered something under breath that the blonde didn't catch, but she was willing to bet it was colourful. "_I'm going to have to go, Q. Call me tomorrow when you finish work, or I will kick your ass when I see you. Which reminds me, you still coming back up here for Thanksgiving?_"

"Of course I am, S, its tradition. Why wouldn't I be?"

"_I don't know. I thought you might want to spend it with Rachel._" Quinn recognised a hint of emotion underlying the Latina's tone, and frowned.

"No, I wouldn't bail on you." Santana was quiet on the other end of the line, and the blonde's frowned deepened, starting to turn worried – she shouldn't have let it go so long without calling her friend. "San, you know I love you, right? Just because I'm with Rachel now doesn't mean that I'm going to just forget about you and Britt."

_"You promise?"_

"Yes, I promise. And I will skype you when I get home tonight, okay? We can talk more then."

_"See you, Q."_ Quinn stared at the phone for a little while after the brunette had hung up, still feeling a little bad for unintentionally avoiding the other woman – she made an internal vow not to do it again.

"Everything okay?" Lee's voice had her gaze snapping up, away from the screen of her phone and locking on his concerned blue eyes.

"Yeah, I've just been a shitty friend lately. But I can fix it."

"That's good. Are you finished? It's nearly two so I was gonna head back up the office." The blonde nodded and they dumped the remnants of their lunch into the bins on the way back to the stairwell, making their way back to Lee's office to continue their work for the day – Quinn decided that she'd gotten much too complacent on this week that she had off. She was already exhausted, and she still had another three hours to go.

_Better get used to it, _she thought as she sank back onto the red sofa, pulling the article she'd been reading back onto her lap as she settled into a more comfortable position. Something told her that it was going to be a long three hours.

x-x-x

Rachel knocked on the door to Quinn's apartment half an hour earlier than she was supposed to – but she couldn't help it, she'd just been dying to see the blonde again, even though she'd only left this very apartment a handful of hours ago.

She had a key, the one that the blonde had left with her so that she could lock up when she'd left, but she didn't feel right using it now, not yet. It felt too soon for that. She knocked again, a little louder, after hearing no movement from inside the apartment.

"The door's open!" She heard, finally, from within, and slid inside quickly, shutting it behind her. The blonde was nowhere in sight, so she made her way to the bedroom, guessing that was where was hiding.

"Hey," Quinn greeted her from where she was lying on the bed, on her front with her legs bent at the knee, crossed in mid-air. She was also wearing no pants, only red and very lacy underwear that made Rachel's eyes widen slightly.

"H-hey," she eventually managed to reply, hastily looking away from the blonde's long, toned legs and towards the window, ignoring her smirk.

_"Yo, Q, am I invisible all of a sudden?"_ Rachel jumped slightly at the sound of Santana's voice, startled, but then her eyes landed on the laptop placed on the bed in-front of the blonde, and understood.

"Sorry," Quinn apologised, her gaze leaving Rachel's body and returning to the computer screen. "What are you doing tonight?"

_"No idea. Britt's working late, so probably just looking over some new cheers and catching up on TV. You're going to watch Kurt's show, right? And is Berry there? She not talking to me?"_

"She's here, I think she's just distracted by the fact that I'm not wearing any pants." Rachel flushed at the blonde's words, shooting her a glare, but when Quinn patted the space on the bed beside her she went and sat beside her.

"Hey, Santana." The brunette was sprawled across her own bed, on her side as she looked at the screen.

_"Hey. How's it going? You'd better be treating my girl right."_ Quinn scoffed beside the brunette, but Rachel's eyes were on the screen, noting the serious look on Santana's face, knowing that she wasn't messing around, even if her tone was playful.

"Of course I am."

_"Mmhmm. Slept together yet?"_

"Oh, my God. Do you _really _think that we've had sex since you spoke to me at lunch?" Quinn replied, looking mortified, but Rachel just laughed, enjoying the other brunette's teasing of the blonde.

_"Nah, but I wanted to see the look on your face. Totally worth it. Prude."_

"How am I a prude? Honestly."

"_Well, that's true. A prude wouldn't have slept with so many women in college."_

"I hate you."

_"You_ love_ me."_

"No, no, right now I really don't." Rachel listened to their exchange with an amused smile on her face, but she made a note to ask the blonde about that later – partly because she was curious, and partly because she looked adorable when she was embarrassed. "As much as I hate to cut this conversation short, I really need to take a quick shower before we head out. I'll speak to you tomorrow?"

_"Yeah, okay. But leave this on while you go shower. Rachel and I can get to know each other a little better._" Quinn looked a little apprehensive at that, but after a quick glance at the clock decided that she didn't have any time to spare in arguing, so headed for the bathroom after kissing Rachel lightly on the cheek and shooting the other brunette a warning glance.

_"So, Rach, how's your show going?"_ A little unsure about what on earth Santana would want to talk to her about, Rachel made herself a little comfier, leaning back against the pillows against the headboard of the blonde's bed and picking her laptop up, balancing it on her legs.

"Okay. Only got a couple of weeks left before it finishes, though."

_"What are you doing after that?"_

"I don't know. I'm meeting my agent in a couple of days to talk about what roles I want to audition for, but a little break would be nice. And it'll mean that I can spend more time with Quinn," she added almost as an afterthought, forgetting she was mid-conversation and musing aloud – her plans for after Spring Awakening ended on Broadway hadn't really been at the fore-front of her thoughts lately, after all.

_"That's cool. So, you and Q, huh. How's that working out for you?"_

"Great… why?"

_"Because I care about her, and I don't want to see her hurt."_ Santana straightened up, titling her screen backwards as she rose to a sitting position, face suddenly serious – it seemed she'd successfully steered the conversation onto the topic she wanted.

"I'm not going to hurt her, Santana."

_"But you might do, without meaning to. She is completely head over heels for you, and she has been for pretty much as long as I've known her. She's in this relationship, a hundred percent. But the real question is, are you?"_

"I'm not sure what you're asking me to say, Santana."

_"I'm not asking you to say anything. I just want you to think."_

"About what?"

_"About whether you can see yourself spending the rest of your life with her. Because I assure you, she sure as hell sees your relationship that way. And I'm the one that's going to be picking up the pieces if you decide that, in the end, she's not the one you want."_

Rachel was silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts, not wanting to say the wrong thing. "I understand the concern you have, I do, but I would never have agreed to being with her if wasn't all in. I care about her, deeply, and this last week with her has been the best week of my life. I can see myself falling in love with her, and yes, I can see myself spending the rest of my life with her. It would make me indescribably happy to. But right now I'm just enjoying what we have while it's new – and I'd appreciate it if you kept your nose out of our business."

_"You've definitely grown some balls in the last few years,"_ Santana started, genuine smile on her face. _"Fair enough, I'll stop harassing Q about the two of you. Or at least I'll_ try_, because it's so fun to wind her up. You know, Berry, I think we could be friends."_

"I think so, too." The bathroom door opened then, and Quinn emerged in a cloud of steam, one towel around her head and the other wrapped around her body.

"You guys verbally killed each other, yet?" She asked warily, causing the both of them to laugh.

_"No, but we did have a heart-to-heart. It was beautiful, Q, I'm sorry you missed it_." The blonde shook her head in exasperation. _"I'll leave you to get ready. Speak to you soon. And nice talking to you, Rach. You should come visit me and Britt the next time Quinn comes."_

She signed off with a wave, and the blonde perched on the edge of the bed, unwinding the towel from around her head and running through wet strands of hair in an effort to dry it. "If you give me fifteen minutes I'll be ready."

"Okay. Can I borrow this while I wait?" Rachel gestured vaguely towards the laptop and the blonde nodded, leaning across the bed to press a gentle kiss to her lips, too brief in Rachel's opinion, before she stood and wandered over to the desk, pulling a blowdryer out of one of the drawers and leaning over the plug it into the socket on the bottom of the wall.

Rachel's attention was effectively stolen away from the computer screen as the blonde's short towel inched over her thighs as she bent down, eventually granting the brunette a wonderful view of Quinn's ass, still covered by those sexy red panties.

When the blonde straightened up she school her expression into one that _didn't _suggest that she'd just been ogling her gorgeous girlfriend and turned hastily away, focusing back on the laptop's screen, and she searched her favourite website into google, eager to catch up on the latest Broadway news, which was generally a lot less fascinating than it sounded. But she liked to keep ontop of things.

One of the articles was a new review of her own performance; she read that first, smiling happily at the praise, before noticing there was another piece on the renewal of Wicked. But her gaze wandered even before she'd read the first sentence, stealing back to blonde and staying there when she noted that her towel had slipped, now resting around her waist and leaving her chest completely uncovered.

"Ohmygod," she breathed, aloud, unable to stop herself because for some reason, Quinn had deigned to not wear a bra and she was _half naked _and Rachel was _there _and _god_ she'd never felt such a strong, overwhelming desire for another person – and the blonde wasn't even facing her.

Quinn's back was to her, revealing an expanse of smooth, creamy skin, her shoulder blades standing out starkly as she reached up to dry the roots of her hair. Rachel longed to trace the muscles she could see working under her skin with her fingertips, rake her nails along unblemished skin, marking the blonde for what she was – _hers_.

She turned to one side, just slightly, offering Rachel an ever better view – she could see the side of one of the blonde's breasts, _just _about make out a pink nipple, and she licked her lips unconsciously, hands sinking into the duvet on the bed in an effort to keep herself rooted to the spot, to _not _pounce on the blonde.

When Quinn eventually switched off the blowdryer a few minutes later, letting it rest of the desk as she ran a hand through her hair, checking it was all dry, Rachel was still staring, mesmerised. The blonde tugged the towel back up to cover her chest before she turned around, thinking that the angle hadn't afforded the brunette much of a view.

When she turned her eyes met darkened brown, and she took an instinctive step back, unsure whether to be concerned or aroused by the look of desire on Rachel's face. "Quinn…" Rachel eventually spoke, finding her voice even though her mouth had gone dry, unable to tear her gaze away from the blonde, even now.

"I… we're going to be late."

"I don't care. Come here." Her voice left little room for argument, and Quinn took tentative steps towards her, eyes never leaving the transfixed brunette's face. When she reached the edge of the bed Rachel pushed herself up on her knees to meet the blonde's lips, fisting her towel tightly in her hands and yanking Quinn even closer, causing the blonde to release a muffled moan against her mouth.

Another tug had the towel falling to the floor, and Rachel's hands released the material, one clutching at the blonde's hip, thumb digging lightly into the dip, whilst her other danced across the blonde's ribcage, tracing each rib teasingly before she reached the underside of one of the blonde's breasts, taking advantage of the gasp Quinn emitted to slip her tongue past the blonde's lips, eager to taste her.

"Rach," Quinn breathed against the brunette's lips when they broke the kiss, unable to stop another moan tearing its way free as Rachel traced a line of open-mouthed kisses down the side of her neck. "We-we should stop. You wanted to – oh _god_." The brunette's hand eventually moved up to cup the blonde's breast gently, her thumb flicking across the straining nipple lightly.

"You were saying?" Rachel murmured, mouth still on the blonde's neck, lips curving into a smile at the lack of response. Emboldened by the sounds Quinn was making, she kissed a path down her chest, feeling the blonde's fingers curl in her hair, holding her closer.

Experimentally, she pressed a gentle kiss to the nipple that wasn't being rolled between her fingers, taking Quinn's soft gasp as a sign of encouragement and pulling it into her mouth gently, teeth scraping across and tongue batting lightly.

"_Fuck_, Rach," Quinn groaned from above her, hands tightening in her hair deliciously, as her hips twitched forward. The brunette bit down a little harder, was rewarded with a moan, before she pulled away and leant back up to kiss the blonde's lips as he hand dropped to join the other on the blonde's hip, scraping her nails lightly along her stomach as she went.

Quinn's kiss was electric, their tongues dancing as teeth hit lips, and Rachel had never been kissed like this – not will such all-consuming _desperation _to be closer. When they eventually separated, they were both breathing heavily, and the brunette was flushed with heat, feeling that uncomfortable ache between her legs that she'd grown accustomed to in the last week, when her make-out sessions with Quinn had gotten a little _too _heated.

But tonight had been something else; she'd be consumed with an almost visceral, animalistic need to touch the blonde, like nothing she'd ever felt before. She still felt it, but she knew that if she gave in to it that they wouldn't be leaving this apartment for a _long _time, until Quinn had been suitably ravished, and she didn't want to disappoint Kurt by not being there for him tonight.

"I should get ready," Quinn whispered, voice close to Rachel's ear, and the brunette could only nod, not trusting herself to speak quite yet. They pulled apart reluctantly, the blonde making her way over to her closet with slightly unsteady steps, and Rachel smirked, knowing that it was because of her.

It was a further fifteen minutes before they left, significantly behind schedule, but Rachel couldn't bring herself to care, still on cloud nine. And from the slightly dreamy expression on Quinn's face, she guessed that she was too.

They had a quick meal, closer to the theatre than they had originally been planning, but they were outside the door at half eight, half an hour before it started – plenty of time to go back stage and wish their friend luck.

"Name?" The guy at the ticket office muttered, already looking bored, when they stopped to pick up their tickets – Rachel wouldn't settle for anything less than front row, of course.

"Rachel Berry." The brunette squeezed Quinn's hand, clutched tightly within her own, as they waited. They hadn't been able to stop touching in some way since they'd left, neither completely sure why, but not questioning it, either.

"Here you go, two tickets for Berry." He handed the envelope through the tiny window and Rachel dragged the blonde towards the entrance to backstage, a nondescript door with a burly guy standing outside it with his arms folded across his chest.

The brunette handed him the envelope without a word, and he rifled through the contents before stepping aside with a nod, holding the door open for them. She hadn't been backstage at this particular theatre before, but most were laid out the same and it was easy to spot Kurt's dressing room – not only was his name on the door, but there were photos stuck all over it, most from various stages of pre-production, but there were a couple of others, some featuring Rachel, similar to the ones in their apartment, and even a couple of the Glee club.

Rachel knocked lightly on the door, and it was thrown open a few moments later, revealing Kurt already in his first costume for the show. "Hey!" He pulled the brunette into a hug and when he released her hugged Quinn too, surprising her. "I'm glad you made it."

"Of _course _we made it Kurt, how could we miss it?" Rachel replied, shoving the blonde's shoulder when she noticed her lips twitching into a smirk, no doubt remembering that they very nearly _had _missed it.

"Kurt," a voice called out, coming from behind the trio. "Are you – oh. Hey." Josh appeared around the corner, shy smile on his face as he noticed the two women. "Nice to see you again, Rachel."

"You too," she grinned back – he was a really nice guy, and she thought that if Kurt just took the chance to let himself get involved with someone after the debacle that was Blaine, that they'd be a great match. "This is Quinn, and Quinn, this is Josh," Rachel added, almost forgetting that the blonde hadn't been with her when she'd met Kurt's castmates.

"Good to meet you," the blonde extended a hand with a dazzling smile, eyes twinkling with recognition as she realised that this was the guy Rachel had been talking about for Kurt.

"Ready for the show?" Josh stuck his hands in his pocket and leant back against the wall, looking at Kurt.

"I'm still terrified."

"You'll be _fine_!" Echoed from three sides simultaneously, which at least brought a smile to his face.

"I came to see if you wanted to do a last run-through of a few lines, but realised you had company. Are you guys coming to that afterparty with us?"

"Uh, I don't know," Rachel replied, turning to look at the blonde. "Are we?"

"I probably shouldn't because I need to be a work for nine. _You _can go, though." The brunette pouted, already feeling deprived of time with her girlfriend – it was going to be even worse tomorrow, when she was working.

"But then you'll have to walk home alone."

"Rachel."

"Quinn." The blonde narrowed her eyes at the playful response, but the diva merely smiled serenely up at the taller woman.

"I'll be fine."

"What if I don't _want _to go without you?"

"You know we can hear you, right?" Kurt's voice cut through the couple's conversation, amused, and Rachel flushed, having completely forgotten that they had an audience.

"I'm guessing you two are dating," Josh asked, though it was more a statement than a question. "How long for?"

"Mm, six days," Rachel replied with a soft smile.

"Wow, seriously? You seem like you've been together for a lot longer than that."

"Thankfully not," Kurt muttered, and Rachel turned to glare at him. "I'm kidding! Kind of."

"You suck." But Rachel couldn't even bring herself to act affronted, smile still on her face.

"You love me."

"You still suck." Kurt glanced down at his watch absently, noting the time and biting his lip.

"You should probably go get your seats, guys, it'll be starting soon."

"Alright. Stop worrying! I'll see you after." Rachel leant up and kissed his cheek and gave him one last hug.

"Good luck," Quinn murmured with an encouraging smile, before Rachel took her hand again and walked them back through the door and into the theatre's foyer. "Want any snacks?"

"Hmmm, I shouldn't. Does that mean you do?"

"No, I might get a drink though." They slid into the queue for the stand, and five minutes later were making their way into the darkened theatre, making the long walk up to the front row and annoying everyone sat down already as they made their way to their seats, in the dead centre.

Quinn shoved her drink into the holder on her right side, and slid her hand over the left armrest, letting it rest lightly on Rachel's thigh. The brunette's hand covered hers, as she drew light patterns across the skin idly.

It wasn't long before the show began, and from then on Rachel was completely captivated, her eyes only leaving the stage during the interval, and even then it was only to gush her thoughts on everything from the musical numbers to costume decisions to the bemused blonde sat beside her.

Three hours later, after the last scene had played out and the curtain fell, the entire place erupted into applause, no-one clapping louder than the two proud friends in the front row. Rachel caught Kurt's eye when the cast appeared to take a bow, and the huge grin on his face had her own stretching across her face – it had been too long since she'd seen him so happy.

"That was amazing!" Quinn's voice brought her attention away from her friend on stage and to the woman stood beside her, grinning as their eyes met.

"Of _course_ it was, Quinn." The blonde simply rolled her eyes at the typical response, and the lights in the theatre came back on, illuminating the previously dark space as the actors on the stage disappeared.

The pair waited for their row to empty before heading backstage once more, Kurt sweeping Rachel into a hug as she ran towards him, swinging her round easily, clearly over the moon with how the night had gone.

"You were awesome," she murmured as he dropped her back to floor, sincerity shining in both her voice and expression. "You'll be getting your own rave reviews in no time. Maybe even in a certain prestigious newspaper that someone we know works for," she joked, eyeing the blonde who stood behind them.

"I hope so. I don't think it'll end quite the same way for me as it did for you, though – I'd be a little worried if I got a girlfriend at the end of it."

"I think I'd be worried, too," the brunette replied, laughing.

"So, are you coming out with us?"

"I…"

"Yes, she is," cut in Quinn from behind them, stepping forward so she was level with her girlfriend. "I won't be though. You were amazing tonight, Kurt, really, really good. I'm glad you invited me to come tonight." She smiled a little tentatively, still unsure on where the two of them stood in regards to each other, but she meant every word she said. "And I will see _you_," she turned to the now-pouting brunette. "Tomorrow night. Keep my key, you can come back to mine after the show if you want."

"Okay. Text me when you get home."

"Yes, yes." The blonde leant down to kiss the shorter woman goodnight, lingering against her lips for a few moments, not really wanting to leave but knowing that she should. "I'll see you then. Night, Kurt."

She turned with a wave and left through one of the sidedoors, leaving Rachel and Kurt standing in the hallway outside his dressing room. "Are you going to stop looking so depressed? It's going to put a damper on the celebratory night."

"Sorry," she spun to face him, schooling her expression into something more neutral. "I just miss her."

"She's been gone for thirty seconds."

"I know," the brunette sighed wistfully, and Kurt shook his head in exasperation as her eyes drifted again to the door the blonde had just left through.

"You are so whipped."

"Shut up."


	14. Chapter 14

"So, Quinn, how have you enjoyed your week with us?" Michael asked, eyes regarding the blonde over the top of his wire-rimmed glasses. It was Friday afternoon – three o' clock, to be exact, and she was looking forward to finishing for the week and actually having the chance to actually spend time with her girlfriend.

"It's been great." She flashed a genuine smile, because she had had a good time that week. She and Lee had become good friends after having to spend so much time together, and she was glad to have someone other than Rachel in New York for her to hang out with. Plus it helped to know that there was someone at work that she could talk to.

"I'm glad. So, as of next week…" Quinn tried to focus on the words he was saying, she really did, but it was extremely difficult to concentrate when she knew that her gorgeous girlfriend was waiting for her downstairs in the lobby of the building.

The same girlfriend who she had only seen for a handful of minutes each day, as the brunette had slipped into bed beside her at night and who she woke up to in the mornings. She wasn't entirely sure what she'd agreed to by the time she left her boss's office , let alone what she was supposed to do when she started at her official position come Monday, but she found that she didn't care as she skipped happily down the hallway.

"I don't think I've seen you look so happy yet this week, should I be worried that you're so glad to leave?" Lee's voice had her stopping outside his office, where he was still packing up his stuff away ready for the weekend.

"Maybe a little," she teased, and he grinned, pushing his glasses further up his nose absently, something that she'd noticed he did a lot. "You almost ready to leave? I can wait for you."

"I'm done now, yeah." He slung his messenger bag over one shoulder and traipsed over to her, locking the door to the office behind him. "Got any plans for the weekend?"

"Not at the moment, you?"

"I think I might be dragged to see Wicked – you went the other night, right?"

"Yeah, my girlfriend's roommate's in it." She'd told him that she was involved with a woman on her second day, and he'd taken it within his stride – it was one of the reasons why she'd decided that he was such a decent guy. "It's really good, actually, even if you don't really enjoy theatre."

"You don't?" The elevator dinged and the doors opened, both of them stepping inside as Lee pressed the button for the ground floor.

"No, no, I do. Do not let Rachel hear you ask me that, I might be killed."

"She's in Spring Awakening, right?"

"Yeah." The elevator whirred to a stop and the doors opened; they stepped out into the grandeur of the lobby, Quinn's eyes immediately straying towards the brunette that stood leaning near the front doors. Their gazes met, Rachel turned as she heard the arrival of the elevator, and a blinding smile stretched across her face.

"Quinn?" Lee's voice caused her eyes to snap back to him, blushing slightly when she realised she'd been completely ignoring him. "Have you heard a word I just said?"

"I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely, but he just shook his head wryly, amused.

"No worries," he grinned, falling back a step as they reached the brunette – Rachel's arms wrapped around the blonde's neck as she pulled her into a hug, Quinn's arms slipping around her waist, squeezing the other woman against her tightly.

"I missed you," Rachel breathed into the blonde's neck, and Quinn smiled into her hair, loving that the brunette wasn't afraid of admitting how much she needed her – almost as much as she needed Rachel.

"Missed you too." Quinn extricated herself from Rachel's hold, not forgetting about Lee this time, and taking the brunette's hand instead as she turned to face her friend. "Lee, this is my girlfriend Rachel, Rach, this is Lee."

"Nice to meet you," the diva smiled, shaking his hand with the one that wasn't held tightly within Quinn's grasp.

"You too. I've heard a lot about you."

"All bad, I bet."

"Not at all," Lee good-naturedly, glancing down at his watch. "I'm going to have to get a move on, so I'll see you on Monday, Quinn, and lovely to finally meet you, Rachel." With another smile and a wave he left the pair of them in the lobby.

As soon as he was gone Rachel leant up to kiss the blonde's lips lightly, missing the feeling of them pressed against her own. "Where do you want to go for lunch?" She asked as they left the building, walking slowly as they made their way down the street outside.

"I don't mind. What time do you have to leave me?"

"Mm, fiveish."

"Do you want to head somewhere nearby and then go back to mine for a bit?"

"How about," Rachel started, eyes looking up at the blonde with blazing eyes, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. "We just go straight back to your place? I can eat later."

"I… Okay." The blonde wasn't in the mood to argue with the brunette – and, really, she didn't want to. The walk back to her apartment was a blur, and as soon as the door shut behind them Rachel's lips were on hers, hands on her hips, shoving her back against the door, hard.

Quinn wasn't complaining – god she'd missed this, missed the taste of Rachel's lips, the feeling of her skin underneath her fingertips. Ever since the night before they'd been to see Wicked they hadn't had another moment like the one they'd shared – only having the time for half-hearted kisses, one of them usually half-asleep when the other was fully awake.

"God, I missed you," the brunette breathed, breaking the kiss and resting her head lightly on the blonde's shoulder, fingers flexing where they rested on Quinn's hips, digging in slightly – delightfully – and Quinn could only sigh happily, her arms winding around Rachel's neck.

"You already said that before," she teased, leaning back and resting her head on the door, still more than a little breathless.

"I know, but I really, really," brown eyes, much darker than usual, looking up at her hungrily, and the blonde swallowed, not really sure how to process he outright desire on Rachel's face as their gazes locked, "really missed you."

"I…" But she was cut off with another kiss, the brunette's mouth hot on her own as she tugged the blonde's bottom lip into her mouth, biting down on it softly. Quinn could only moan, one hand twisting through strands of dark hair while the other travelled down the brunette's back until it landed on her ass – she squeezed hard, bringing Rachel forward so that there was no space between them, and one of the brunette's thighs was between her own.

She reacted instinctively in response to the diva's soft gasp, spinning them around so that she was the one pressed against the door, leaning her weight onto the leg pushed between the brunette's as her mouth trailed along the side if her neck, pressing kisses to the heated skin.

When she felt a thudding pulse point against her lips she bit down lightly – not as hard as she wanted to, not enough to mark, because she knew that she'd never hear the end of it if Rachel had to go on-stage that night with a hickey on her neck – and smirked, a little self-satisfied, at the brunette's moan.

She'd never really let herself go before when they'd been together- she'd been to scared of pushing things too far, too afraid that once they started she wouldn't be able to stop herself, but the look in Rachel's eyes just a few moments ago had shattered any illusions she'd had about being able to keep herself under control, and she didn't regret it one bit as Rachel's hips bucked slightly against her thigh, her head thudding back against the wooden door as Quinn's lips moved south, tracing the edge of the t-shirt the brunette was wearing.

Instead of dragging it down like she wanted to, she paused, standing up to kiss Rachel's swollen lips once more, content to slow things down a little as her hands flattened on the brunette's stomach, revelling in the tiny gasp that left her mouth in response to the blonde's touch.

Quinn slowed the kiss slightly, her fingertips trembling against the brunette's toned flesh as her hands moved upwards slowly, eventually encountering the lacy material of Rachel's bra and cupping both her breasts fully – sure that she would never ever get tired of this.

Emboldened by hips thrusting further forward and a soft groan, she flicked the front clasp of the bra with sure fingers, pushing it out of her way impatiently before running her hands over the newly revealed skin, tracing the outside of both nipples teasingly with the pads of her fingers as her mouth trailed along the side of Rachel's neck once more.

"Quinn…" Her name fell from the brunette's lips with a delicate sigh, only spurring her on as she dragged the edge of the brunette's shirt down with one hand, leaving her mouth free to envelop one dusky nipple into her mouth while she gently rolled to other between her fingertips.

Rachel's hands burrowed into the blonde's hair, holding her close to the brunette's chest, and tightening when she felt teeth against her skin, a soft moan escaping her mouth that only encouraged the blonde to bite down a little harder.

Quinn eventually released the brunette's nipple from her mouth after a few more torturous minutes, pressing a quick kiss to the other one as she moved her way back up to Rachel's lips. She was breathing heavily, eyes half-lidded and filled with nothing but desire as they locked with hazel – even if the blonde hadn't been turned off before, she definitely was now.

"Quinn…" Rachel started again, hands dropping to the collar of the shirt the blonde was wearing and yanking her forward until their lips met in a searing kiss that left both of them breathless when they broke apart. "I want you," she whispered against the taller woman's lips, voice husky.

"I… What?" Quinn pulled back, confused, realisation dawning slightly at the purposeful raise of one of the brunette's eyebrows. "You… and me. Wow. Okay."

"I think we're waited long enough, don't you?" She leant up for another open-mouthed kiss before the blonde could reply, desperate the feel more of Quinn against her – it had been too long without it, much too long.

"Even so," the blonde continued when they parted once more, Rachel's head now resting against the door. "Right now isn't a good time."

"Why not?"

"Seriously, Rach? One, because whilst I wouldn't be opposed to fucking you against my front door, that is definitely not how I want our first time to be. And two," she moved so that her mouth was against the brunette's ear, biting down softly on the lobe before she continued speaking, voice low. "You have to be at your show in just over an hour, and I definitely want to take my time with you."

When she pulled back it was with a smirk on her face that only intensified when she saw that Rachel's eyes had fluttered shut. "You're no fair," she pouted when she opened them again, shoving Quinn away from her playfully.

"And neither are you, attacking me as soon as we're though the door." She took a step back from the brunette, not entirely trusting herself - especially considering that Rachel's bra was still hanging open, offering a tantalizing glimpse of skin through the slightly see-through t-shirt.

She made her way to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, and when she turned around the brunette had re-clasped the bra and was lounging on the couch. "Just make yourself at home, then," the blonde teased as she collapsed next to her girlfriend, lying back and pulling the brunette with her, throwing an arm around her waist and pressing her face into her hair, surrounding herself with the comforting scent that was uniquely Rachel Berry.

"I wish you didn't have to go," she murmured after a few moments of silence, meaning every word.

"Me too," was the wistful reply, Rachel's fingers dancing up and down the length of the blonde's arm that was still tightly wound around her hip. "But it won't be for long."

"Even so."

"So you'd rather I missed my show?"

"…I'm really not sure what the correct answer in this situation is."

"I think the point is that there is no correct answer." The brunette twisted so that she was facing the blonde on the couch, propping one arm under her head and resting the other along the blonde's thigh.

"Then that's not a fair question." Unable to resist the pull of the brunette's lips when they were so close, Quinn ended the discussion with a kiss. They spent the next half an hour like that, wrapped in each other's' arms, making out like the horny teenagers they felt like whenever they were alone together.

"I have to go," Rachel murmured regretfully as five o'clock approached, ignoring the pout on the blonde's face. "Stop looking at me like that."

"Why?"

"Because it's not allowed, I just made it a rule. No pouting."

"Does that go for you, too?" Quinn asked, lips quirked into an amused smile as Rachel detangled their legs and rose to her feet, stretching her arms out in-front of her.

"Nope, just you." The brunette held out a hand to help the blonde up, and she rose fluidly to her feet, threading her fingers through Rachel's as she led her to the front door. "I'll miss you, but I'll come over later."

"I look forward to it," the brunette whispered, unable to speak any louder due to the very, very sexy way that the brunette was looking at her – with all the promise of what they'd be getting up to later tonight.

With another quick kiss Rachel left her apartment, leaving her alone and with several hours to kill – she was already sure that this would be the longest evening of her entire life. Never before had she wished so hard for time to speed up.

x-x-x

A knock on her dressing room door made Rachel pause in the packing away of the few belongings she'd brought with her that night, which mainly consisted of some make-up, a jacket, a bottle of water and her laptop.

Confused, she walked hesitantly over to the door, having absolutely no idea who would be on the other side of it – she'd been invited out that night but had politely refused, completely uninterested in anything other than the gorgeous blonde that would be waiting (preferably naked), back at the apartment that she was quickly coming to regard as her second home.

Another knock had her tugging the door open, and then a second later, her jaw dropping open as she came face to face with not only Kurt, but her two fathers, who both looked absolutely delighted to see her.

"Dad? Daddy? What… what are you doing here?" It was safe to say that she was completely and utterly shocked – they rarely came out to visit her, and not only that, but she was heading home that Wednesday night anyway for Thanksgiving, making their visit even more unexpected.

"We wanted to surprise you!"

"Well… you definitely succeeded." They both stepped forward and hugged her then, and she returned it despite her confusion – and despite the fact that this now meant that she probably wasn't going to have the chance to spend the night at Quinn's.

Dammit.

"And we wanted to check that you were okay, after everything that happened with Finn. You've been holding back on the phone with us; we just wanted to see how you were doing." Rachel flushed a little – it was true, she had been holding back with her fathers, but not because of Finn.

No, more because she was already involved in a relationship.

With a woman.

The same woman who'd tortured her in high school; who her fathers had listened to her rant about on more than one occasion.

"Daddy… I'm fine. Honestly."

"Well even so, we're here now. We thought that we could stay for the week and then fly back to Lima with you and Kurt for Thanksgiving. What do you think?"

"I think… That's a great idea, Daddy. But where are you staying?"

"I thought you could sleep in my room with me, Rach, and they could stay in the guest room? It's only for a couple of nights, after all." Kurt piped up, looking a little apologetic as he met her gaze – he didn't know about her plans for the evening, but he knew how much she'd missed Quinn, and that they'd been planning to spend the night together.

"Yeah. Yeah, okay." She forced a smile even though she was still a little stunned, but at least her fathers both looked happy. "I just have a couple of things to pack up and then I'll be ready to go."

"I'll help," Kurt added, slipping into the dressing room and letting the door close behind him. "I'm so sorry, Rach, I honestly had no idea they were coming until they showed up at our front door."

"It's fine," she sighed heavily, leaning back against her vanity table. "They have really bad timing though."

"Do I want to ask why?" Kurt asked uncertainly from where he was standing, just inside the door. She just smiled innocently at him. "I'll take that as a no, then."

"I need to call Quinn," the brunette sighed again, digging into the pockets of her jeans to pull out her phone and ringing the now-familiar number. Thankfully, the blonde picked up on the fourth ring.

_"Hey, you. Are you ready to leave?_" There was an undercurrent to Quinn's voice – almost husky, and Rachel had little doubt that it was because of what she thought they'd be getting up to that night.

"I'm so sorry." There was a slight tinge of desperation in her voice, and she knew it – god, she wanted the blonde so much. It had been driving her crazy since the first time they'd kissed, and she'd foolishly thought that she'd finally be able to do something about it.

But no, of course the universe had other plans for her.

_"What?_" Quinn's voice turned wary, and Rachel turned so that her back was to Kurt, not entirely confident that she wouldn't burst into tears at any given moment. "_What's wrong?"_

"My fathers are here. As in, outside my dressing room right now."

_"What? Why?"_

"They were worried about me. It's sweet, but… They could have chosen a better night than this. I'm so sorry, Quinn, you have no idea how much. But I'll make it up to you, I promise."

_"You don't need to make anything up to me, Rach. Spend time with your parents; there'll be other nights._" Yep, she was definitely close to tears – what had she done to deserve such an amazingly understanding person in her life?

"Another thing…." She bit her lip, pausing slightly before she carried on, the words almost coming out through gritted teeth. "They're here until Wednesday."

_"Don't… don't you fly back to Lima on Wednesday?"_

"Yes."

_"And you're there until Sunday."_

"Yes." It wasn't a question, but she still felt the need to answer- it was almost unbearable to think about how long she'd have to wait to finally have the chance to spend the night with her girlfriend. Over a week – torturous.

"_Oh. Well… That's okay, too. As long as I can see you at least once before you go."_

"Of course you will – you can't get rid of me that easy."

_"Nor would I want to. Call me when you can?"_

"I will. Night, Quinn."

_"Night._" She hung up with regret, already missing the sound of the blonde's voice, before she turned to face Kurt, who was looking at her with sympathy. She shoved the rest of her stuff into her bag and slung it over her shoulder as they left the room without another word.

Her fathers were stood waiting outside, and she didn't have to force a smile this time when she saw them – she was happy to see them, she was, she just wished that the timing had been a little better.

"Have you eaten?" She asked them as they made their way towards the exit, hungry herself from not eating anything other than a crappy salad she'd bought on her way over to the theatre from the blonde's apartment.

It had been worth it, though.

"Nope, we thought we'd take you and Kurt out for something, what do you say?"

"Sure," they both replied, leading the way to the nearest nicest restaurant that also sat conveniently close to the apartment.

"So, Kurt, were you working today?"

"Yeah, it was an early show today though, hence why I was home when you guys stopped by."

"And it's going well?"

"Definitely. It's a lot less nerve-wracking now that the first few shows are out of the way."

"And what about you, Rach?" The brunette glanced up from her menu, her eyes meeting Leroy's across the table. "How's Spring Awakening been? We've been keeping up with reviews, but hearing you talk about it is always better."

"It's going great. But I have to say I won't be that upset when it's over – I'm looking forward to playing a new part." She'd been talking to her agent a lot that week, Todd having lined up several auditions for her to look at.

One she was particularly excited about, but she hadn't told Quinn about it yet and wanted to blonde to be the first to know.

"Any ideas what you want to do next?"

"A few," she replied coyly, already having guessed that that would be the next question he asked. Curiosity ran in the Berry family.

"How are you anyway? Honestly?" Hiram's concerned eyes rested on her, and she looked away glancing out the window beside her as she answered.

"I'm fine, Dad. Honestly. Finn and I weren't working; even if I hadn't walked in on him with that woman I don't think we would have lasted much longer anyway. It was just a matter of time."

Their topics turned to more idle conversation as the waitress took their orders, looking a little perturbed by their being there at such a late hour – maybe she'd been hoping to finish her shift early.

Her phone buzzed with a text as the waitress took their menus away, and the noticed with curiosity that it was from Quinn. She opened it curiously, not bothering it to shield it from Kurt's prying eyes over her shoulder.

_I changed my mind – I think you should make things up to me. I thought I was going to be getting all hot and bothered with you tonight but now I'm just going to have to make do with myself…._

"Oh, my God," Kurt whispered from beside her as her eyes widened with every word. "I think I'm scarred for life." Rachel quickly moved the phone so that it was resting on her knee, her pulse racing slightly, as she tried not to flush as her mind was overrun with images of a naked Quinn writhing with pleasure on her bed, own hand buried between her legs…

_No, no, no, bad train of thought when your parents are sat right there. Bad._

"Not my fault you're nosy," she hissed back at Kurt, glad that her fathers were too engrossed in conversation with each other to notice her and Kurt's actions. She typed back a quick reply, turning the phone so that Kurt could no longer see the screen.

_Ms Fabray, are you sexting me? I'm shocked._

The reply came back lightning-fast, and she ignored the daggers that Kurt was shooting her, sparing a quick glance to check that Hiram and Leroy were still paying her no attention before she opened the text.

_Ms Fabray? Hot. And I do believe I am – it's only fair, I think, considering you're leaving me high and dry._

The arrival of their food meant that the brunette was spared trying to think up a response – she'd never done this before, she had absolutely no idea what she was doing – and she put the phone back in her pocket as she ate, ignoring the device as it vibrated multiple times as she was eating.

Even half an hour later, as she walked back to the apartment in-between her two fathers, Kurt trailing a little behind and talking on the phone to one of his Wicked castmates, she still hadn't read them.

She was a little afraid of what she might read, if she was being brutally honest – mainly for the reaction she might have to them. She did have a vivid imagination, after all.

It was only when she finally had a moment alone, after escaping into the bathroom under the pretence of having a shower, that she actually opened the three messages.

_What, no reply?_

_Babeeeee, come on. I need you. Really, really, need you…_

_No? Okay, I'll just take care of it completely by myself…. Be much more fun if you were here though. ;)_

A little out of breath after reading the final text, she shut the water for the shower on and slid down to sit on the floor, her back against the bathroom door as she hovered over Quinn's name and pressed the call button.

_"Hey, sexy,_" she picked up on the second ring this time, a slight drawl to her words that Rachel had never heard before – but one that she definitely wouldn't mind hearing again.

"You are not allowed to do that to me again, Quinn Fabray." She tried to keep her voice stern but she failed miserably – she couldn't even try to hide how turned on the blonde had made her, just with words. It made her wonder what she could do to her with her touch.

_"Aw, come on. Don't tell me it didn't make your night more interesting,"_ the blonde replied with a light laugh. When Rachel didn't reply, she quickly backtracked. _"I'm sorry. I thought you'd like it… I shouldn't have done it without asking. I'm sorry. Rach?"_

"You… are unbelievable. Do you have any idea what you do to me?" She murmured, gratified when she heard the blonde's breath hitch in her ear. "Do you?"

_"No, but I'd love to find out…"_ She trailed off suggestively, and Rachel's eyes fluttered closed, her head resting back against the door as she tried to control her breathing. _"Can you not sneak out or something?"_

"Do you really want our first time together being with the knowledge that I'm going to have to keep a close eye on the time so that I can sneak back home before my father's notice that I've been gone?"

_"No,_" Quinn sighed. _"Where are they staying, anyway?"_

"In my room. I'm staying with Kurt."

_"He'd better keep his hands to himself,_" Quinn replied playfully, hoping to cheer the brunette up a little.

"I'll tell him you said that."

_"Question, am I, or am I not, allowed to send you dirty texts over the course of this week?"_

"You can if you want to drive me to an insane level of horniness."

_"Is that even a word?"_

"Yes, it is. And it's a very apt description of my condition currently."

"_What? At an insane level of horniness?"_

"Yes."

_"Well then, why don't you do something to take care of that?"_ Quinn's voice had dropped to a lower register, her tone so sultry that it made the brunette shiver in anticipation – how did the blonde manage to be so sexy?

"I… I don't know if I can," she answered honestly, even though she was aware it might ruin the mood. "I've never… I've never done anything like this before."

"_That's okay, Rach,"_ Quinn's voice was soothing, and she relaxed a little. _"We don't have to do anything. I'm happy just talking to you. Though if your dads are in your room and you're staying with Kurt, how did you get the time alone?"_

"I'm pretending to be in the shower."

_"Ah, creative."_

"Not really. I should probably actually jump in there for a bit though, I don't want to take too long."

_"Okay, but it is totally not fair that you've just given me mental images of you naked and in the shower."_

"Would it be less unfair if I took a picture of me naked and in the shower and sent it to you?" She asked, trying to keep her voice innocent, wishing that she could see the expression on the blonde's face.

_"Do not joke about that."_

"Who says I was joking?"

_"I… I'm hanging up now."_ Quinn's voice was a little strained and Rachel grinned, glad to know that she had at least some effect on the blonde. _"I'll call you tomorrow."_

"Okay. I miss you."

_"I miss you too. Night, gorgeous."_

"Bye, beautiful." She hung up before they ended up talking all night and quickly stripped off her clothes before stepping under the heated water. It was going to be a long few days without seeing Quinn as much as she'd planned, but they'd get through it.

And she was sure that what was waiting on the other side would be well and truly worth it.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: **

**Once again, thank you all so much for all your reviews! The last chapter officially pushed this chapter over the longest thing I've ever posted on here, so thanks for sticking with me for the whole course of this so far :D**

By Monday morning Rachel was just about ready to snap with sexual frustration – not helped in the slightest by the fact that whenever she and Quinn spoke, it always ended up heading somewhere dangerously flirtatious.

To the point that last night, after she'd ended up unable to sleep, and after sneaking out of the bed she was sharing with Kurt and into the living room, sat on the floor with her back against the door, her and Quinn had very nearly ended up having phone sex – something that two weeks ago Rachel would have said was an absolutely appalling idea – and the only reason things had stopped was because Kurt had stalked out of his room, grumbling at her for being so inconsiderate as to wake her up.

When he'd seen the flushed look on her face, coupled with the fact that she had her phone pressed against her ear and her hand was suspiciously close to the edge of the shorts she was wearing, he had quickly turned around and hurried back into the room, shutting the door with a final, definitive click behind him.

"You look like you need a cold shower." Kurt's voice broke her away from the memory, and she raised her eyes to meet his with a glare.

"Shut up." That wasn't the first phrase that sprung to her mind, but it was certainly the most polite. He merely smirked in response and re-filled his own cup of coffee and Leroy's from the machine before sauntering back off to the couch, where he and her fathers were sat.

She'd chosen the breakfast bar, not really in a people-mood, blaming it on the early hour (ten was early, honest), and was sat glaring at the newspaper, wondering how long it would be before she regularly saw Quinn's name in the print.

Thinking of her made her smile, and she was struck with the very sudden and overwhelming urge to see the blonde – this was the longest they'd gone without the other since they'd gotten together, and it was turning out to be quite unbearable.

_I need to see you._

That was all she sent to the blonde's familiar number – it was her night off, she was entitled to spend it however she wanted. Her fathers might want to do something, and maybe blowing them off would make her feel a little guilty, but really, it wasn't like she wasn't going to see them for the next few days.

_Let me take you out for dinner tonight._

Quinn replied quickly, but she wondered if she was interrupting something important that the blonde should have been doing instead of texting her – then she realised that she didn't really care about that.

_You took me out last time. I think it's time I did some of the wooing, don't you?_

Her fingers tapped on the marble-top of the breakfast bar impatiently as she waited for the reply, wishing that she could hear the blonde's voice, but that definitely wasn't a possibility, what with her parents and Kurt being in the same, and also because Quinn was supposed to be working.

_Wooing? Really, Rach? But okay, I guess I can let you do that. Name a time and place and I'm there. I miss you._

_Yes, Quinn, wooing – a perfectly valid and apt description for the plans I have for tonight. I will be at your apartment at seven sharp._

"Rachel?" Her head snapped up to see Hiram standing opposite her – she hadn't even noticed that he'd moved. Sheepishly she set her phone down beside her, quickly shutting of the conversation window just in case he managed to catch a glimpse. "We thought we could go shopping today, and then maybe to the movies later tonight seeing as it's your night off? As I doubt there's any shows on."

"Uh…" She trailed off, trying not to look as guilty as she felt, hating that she had to lie to her dads just to spend time with her girlfriend, but she didn't think that they'd understand what she and Quinn had, not yet, not when it was so new.

And if she was being completely honest with herself, she wasn't quite sure that she understood what they had, either. She only knew that it felt absolutely and indescribably amazing. Better than anything she'd ever felt before.

"I actually have some plans tonight with a friend."

"Oh? What kind of friend?" He raised an eyebrow at her in mock-suspicion, and she forced her expression to stay calm, to betray absolutely nothing. She was an actress: she could totally do this.

"Just… a friend," she answer vaguely, eyes retuning to the newspaper and hoping the topic would be dropped, but Hiram only came and sat down beside her, eyes lingering briefly on her phone as it flashed with a new message.

"It's okay to date, you know, after Finn."

"Daddy!" Part of her was scandalised that her father was giving her dating advice, and the other half was mortified, wishing she could go crawl back into bed and disappear – it had been too long since she'd had a conversation anything akin to this, before Finn, even.

Years ago.

"I'm just saying!" He held his hands out in a gesture of surrender, grinning, and she knew then that there was no harm done by her wanting to go out without them that night. "But still on for shopping?"

"I am always on for shopping!"

"And Kurt? You, too?" He glanced over at them then, looking half-amused, no doubt due to the conversation he had just overheard.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude. You've barely spent any time with Rachel alone since you got here."

"Nonsense, you're practically part of the family," Leroy piped up, and both Hiram and Rachel nodded in agreement.

"Well then, how can I say no to that?"

"Yay!" Rachel sprang lightly to her feet with a clap of her hands, loving how this day was shaping up. "I'll just go jump in the shower and get ready; I'll be back soon."

"No, she won't," she heard Kurt say loudly as she made for the bathroom. "She takes at least an hour to do anything."

"Kurt Hummel!" She spun around just outside the doorway, hand on her heart in mock-horror. "How dare you make such false accusations!"

"Honey, they're not really false…"

"Unbelievable," she muttered as she turned back around and stalked through the door. "Absolutely unbelievable." It was only after grabbing a handful of clothes and safely locking the bathroom behind her that she finally looked at the reply she'd gotten from Quinn.

_Okay, then – consider me ready and waiting to be 'wooed'. ;) And seven is fine, but what do I need to wear?_

She considered her reply as she waited for the shower water to heat up, biting her lip as she leant back against the opposite wall. She needed to decide where they were going before she made any suggestions on attire – but a thought came to her then, half-formed but quickly coalescing into a plan, and she typed a hasty message in response.

_And wooed you will be. ;) I'd suggest a dress. Preferably short. And with a really low neckline… And maybe heels, too. Oh, and pantyhose. That one's important. And that's all you're getting from me. I'll see you later – and I miss you, too. So, so much. Hope you have a good day in work. xx_

x-x-x

It wasn't until five to six that Quinn finally made it back to her apartment, completely and utterly exhausted. It had been a long day, and surely it should be illegal to ask someone to stay behind for an extra thirty minutes on their second week.

Surely.

She was just glad that her apartment was in easy walking distance, because Lee, the poor bastard, had also stayed behind and he had a forty minute journey, from leaving the building to arriving home, taking two different subway lines in the process.

Again, she wondered how she'd gotten lucky enough to land this place.

But there wasn't much time for musing about that now – she had an hour to be ready for her date tonight, not nearly as much time as she'd wanted. And definitely not enough time to take as long in the shower as usual, but it'd have to do.

She was still a little stunned from how busy today had been. Michael had wanted her to attend what felt like every single meeting that was being held in the building that day (okay, so it was only three, but that was still a lot, really), and then he'd asked her to edit four articles before she'd had the chance to leave.

Lee had stayed behind to help even though he hadn't had to, ignoring her insistence that he should get back to his girlfriend. She was glad for the help, though – god only knew what time she would have gotten back home without him.

A five minute shower wasn't nearly long enough after the day from hell, but it was all she had time for – her hair was dry and poker-straight thirty minutes later, as she stood in-front of her closet trying to decide what to wear.

Eventually she settled on a red dress that she'd only worn a couple of times before, and dragged out some matching heels before settling down behind her mirror and applying her usual make-up. Ten minutes later and she was ready – with five more to spare.

Rachel was predictably early, so she'd barely even stood before there was a resounding knock in her apartment door, and she shook her head wryly – Rachel still had her key, from that first week, but still refused to use it out of some weird principle that Quinn didn't really understand.

So she wandered out of her bedroom and opened the door with a flourish, smile spreading across her face as she was met with the vision of Rachel Berry wearing the shortest dress that Quinn had seen her in to date.

Her mind fled to rather inappropriate places as her eyes raked across the brunette's figure, lingering at the plunging neckline of the purple dress, reminding herself that drooling was not, under any circumstances, attractive.

"Hey, you," she finally broke the comfortable silence, and Rachel took that as a sign to cross the threshold and launch herself at the blonde, capturing her lips in a hard kiss that forced Quinn to take a few steps backwards, lest she fall over.

"God, I've missed you," the brunette breathed against her lips when she pulled away, hands still buried in Quinn's hair as she rested her forehead on the blonde's shoulder, breathing her in.

"I missed you too." Her arms wrapped around the brunette's waist, holding her tightly to her chest, feeling the flutter of Rachel's every breath against her collarbone. "So, where are taking me?"

"Not a chance in hell that I'm telling you that, Fabray. But we should probably get going soon if we want to be on time." Regret tinged the brunette's voice, and Quinn grinned, pressing one more soft kiss to her lips before untangling their bodies and stepping to the side, ignoring the diva's pout.

"Come on, then."

"I didn't literally mean right now," she huffed before following the blonde out of her apartment, watching her lock up behind them. "But we are so coming back here later tonight."

"Are we, now?" Hazel eyes met brown, and Quinn raised a questioning eyebrow in response to the heat she saw reflected back at her.

"Yes. But not for that, so get your mind out of the gutter."

"Me? I have no idea what you're talking about," she replied innocently, even though the texts that she'd been exchanging with the brunette over the last few days had been anything but.

"Oh, I'm sure. Because there's absolutely no way that _just_ last night you told me that you'd love to fuck me against a piano, is there, hm?" Quinn just smirked, and Rachel rolled her eyes – Quinn hoped that that was in an attempt to not think about it. She was almost positive that that would have been high on the brunette's list of fantasies.

"Don't act like you've never thought about it," she breathed, leaning down to whisper it into the brunette's ear, and she whipped around to fix the blonde with a shocked stare.

"Quinn!"

"What? I thought you liked it when I talked dirty?" She cocked her head to one side, trying (and failing), not to laugh at the expression of outrage on Rachel's face.

"Not… not here. Not in public!"

"Rach, we are hardly in public. We haven't even left my building yet." Quinn's tone was playful, teasing – she loved this, loved the easy relationship they were falling into, with every fibre of her being. She felt like she was floating, which certainly wasn't something that she'd ever experienced before. "And anyway, since when are you so shy talking about sex?"

"Since I haven't had it in nearly a year," she muttered, looking down – anywhere other than into the eyes of the now-shell-shocked blonde, who reached out to grab the brunette's arm and spun her around before she could open the front door to the blonde's apartment building.

"Whoa, you can't just drop something like that on me and expect me not to pick up on it. I thought you and Finn," the name twisted a little on the way out, the thought of his oaf-like hands all over her girlfriend's body, "only started going south fairly recently? Well, not like, recently, recently, but… less than a year ago."

"You're freaking out. Which is exactly why I never told you." The brunette was still refusing to look at Quinn, and with an exasperated sigh she took hold of her chin and titled her head up until their eyes met.

"Hey. I am not freaking out, okay? I just didn't expect that. But to be perfectly honest, I'm glad. He never deserved you."

"_I_ don't deserve _you_." Rachel's voice was small, a light flush covering her cheeks at the blonde's compliment, and it was all Quinn could do not to roll her eyes.

"Rach, are you being serious right now? After all the shitty things I've done in my life, it is almost certain that I am more deserving than you than the other way around. But because I know you're just as stubborn as I am, let's leave that one there. I don't care that you haven't had sex in a year; I don't care that you've only had sex with two people. I only care about you. Okay? I lo- " She cut herself off hastily, biting her lip to stop more words from spilling out – it was too early, much too early, for that. "I only care about you," she repeated instead, lamely.

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me," was all Rachel said, so simply and honestly that Quinn felt her heart swell, and almost, almost let her eyes fill with tears. Instead, she closed the little distance between them and pressed a gentle kiss to the brunette's lips, saying more with that than she probably could with words.

"Now can we go get food? I'm starving." It was the best she could come up with to make the change to a lighter topic, and from the brunette's lopsided grin it seemed to work. They were leaving the building a few seconds later, hands joined and swinging lightly in-between their bodies.

Quinn had no idea where she was being led, but she was content to enjoy actually getting the chance to spend time with Rachel, which had been in short-supply lately. Conversation flowed freely between them as they walked, talking about everything and nothing, both just happy to be together.

Rachel pulled them to a stop outside a fancy-looking restaurant, and Quinn eyed it curiously, almost a little hesitant to venture inside somewhere that looked so up-market. Rachel merely rolled her eyes and pulled the blonde through the door without another word, speaking quietly to the head waiter (too quietly for the blonde to hear), who nodded vigorously in response to whatever she was saying, before disappearing completely.

"Where the hell are we?" Quinn murmured as soon as he'd gone, a little apprehensive at being around so many people – some of which, she could tell, were probably well-known actors and actresses.

"A restaurant," Rachel answered coyly, playing absently with a strand of her hair.

"Well yes, I got that much."

"Just checking. Sometimes you can be awfully slow."

"Aren't you supposed to be nice to your date when you take them out?"

"I'm paying, isn't that enough?"

"Touché." Rachel grinned, and Quinn smiled, and she wondered if things could ever be much more perfect than this. The waiter returned then, and ushered them forward, leading them towards a non-descript black door than the blonde hadn't even noticed.

"Enjoy your night, Ms Berry," the waiter said as he propped the door open for them to pass through - the brunette merely nodded and passed through, pulling Quinn with her. Inside was a much smaller room than the one they'd just walked through, with only a handful of tables, none of them currently occupied.

Another waiter stood inside behind the only table adjourned with cutlery, and he pulled out both chairs for the two women before handing them menus and skipping off through another door once they'd ordered a bottle of wine.

"How the hell did you get into this place?" Quinn asked as soon as he'd disappeared, looking at the menu and thinking that it would be wholly unfair for the brunette to pay for this considering the ridiculously expensive food. "It seems like the type of restaurant where you need like, a six months in advance reservation."

"I know the owners," was the cryptic reply, and Quinn resigned herself to the fact that she probably wouldn't get anything further out of the brunette so instead settled for lowering her eyes back to the menu.

"Am I allowed to order for myself this time?"

"I guess so," Rachel replied, and when Quinn shot a quick glance across the table she saw a soft smile on the brunette's face.

The waiter appeared then, as if on cue, and Quinn ordered some fancy-sounding pasta and Rachel ordered something that the blonde couldn't enough pronounce, and they were left to their own devices as their menus were taken away.

"So, have you decided what you want audition for yet?" The blonde was aware that Rachel's show only had a couple of weeks left before it finished up and went on tour (she didn't want to leave the city to go along with it), and knew that the brunette's agent had lined up several things for her to look at for the new year.

"I don't know. There's going to be a new _Evita_ show, but I don't know if I'm good enough yet for that part…"

"Since when you do not think you're good enough for a part? They'd be lucky to have you, Rach. You're amazing, I'm sure you'd nail it. And even if you didn't, it's good experience for the next time."

"Will you go with me?" There was a note of vulnerability in the brunette's voice, and Quinn leant across the table, resting her hand lightly on-top of the brunette's.

"Of course I will, if you want me to. Just let me know when and where."

"I will," Rachel practically beamed, and Quinn smiled softly back, their exchange interrupted by the return of their waiter with their food. If nothing else, at least it was fast service for the price, the blonde mused, and when she took a bite of the paste she had to admit that it tasted pretty good, too.

"So, where to next, Ms Berry?" The blonde asked half an hour later, when they'd finished up and were leaving the restaurant (Rachel ignoring her protests that she should pay for at least some of bill), tucking her arm around the brunette's.

"Weeeeeell, how do you feel about ice skating?"

"Are you being serious?" The brunette's smirk told her that yes, she was being serious, and Quinn bit her lip, debating. Sure, being a cheerleader had meant that she had to have good balance, but she wasn't sure how that would transcend to skating. On ice. "Um, I don't know, Rach…"

"Pleaseeee?"

"I've told you that it's not fair when you pout, right?" Rachel didn't respond, and Quinn eventually gave in with a sigh. "Fine. But next time I am the one picking what we do."

"Yay! Let's go." The blonde didn't have any more time to protest as she was dragged forward, having to take long strides to be able to keep up with the tiny brunette. She didn't think she'd ever seen Rachel look so positively gleeful, so she decided not to protest too much more.

It was already fairly busy at the rink when they arrived there a few minutes later, but they still had another two hours before it closed at half ten. Quinn had to admit that it looked pretty picturesque, the trees of Central park surrounding it, lit up by colourful lights.

Almost as soon as the blonde had the skates on she was sure that this was a terrible idea, and they weren't even on a slippy surface yet, but she didn't have time to voice that to Rachel before she was being dragged forward again.

"Rach, I really don't think that - "

"I won't let you fall, Quinn. Here, put these on first." The brunette thrust a pair of gloves towards her which she pulled on hastily under the brunette's impatient gaze. "Now, come on."

"Rach…"

"Quinn."

"You're kinda mean."

"If I were you, Quinn, I wouldn't insult the person who's promised to not let you fall on your ass in-front of all these people."

"Definitely mean." But she stepped forward anyway, taking Rachel's proffered hand and taking the last few steps until they were at the ice, forcing herself not to look down as she followed Rachel forward, and promptly nearly falling on her ass as her foot slipped. "This was a really bad idea."

She automatically reached for the side with her other hand, and she could see the brunette trying not to laugh as she balanced perfectly upright next to the blonde, as though it cost her no effort at all.

Which, she thought, it probably didn't.

"This isn't fair, you've done this before."

"Is this your way of telling me that you've never been ice skating before?"

"Maybe?"

"Then I'll teach you! Come on, just follow my lead."

"You say that like it's easy," Quinn muttered darkly, but she let go of the side anyway and let Rachel pull her forward, her grip on the brunette's hand vice-like.

It wasn't until they'd circled the rink a few times before the blonde started to actually enjoy herself, and even then she spent half the time terrified that she was going to fall every time her foot slipped a little too far forward.

"Wanna stop for a bit?" Rachel asked after a little longer, cheeks flushed from the cold, smile pretty much stretching across her face. Quinn could only nod, breathing more easily when she was back on solid ground. "Having fun yet?"

"Mmmm, no."

"Liar." Rachel perched on the edge of one of the benches that littered the outside of the rink for people to sit on when they needed a rest, motioning Quinn down beside her.

"Me? Never."

"Uh-huh. Come here," she let go of the blonde's hand only to grab the collar of her coat, pulling her forward until their lips met. "Can I stay at yours tonight?"

"I thought you didn't want your dads getting suspicious."

"I'm going to tell them soon, I just didn't want them to think that you're a rebound or something equally ridiculous."

"Mm, okay, then. I guess." She smirked at the look of outrage on the brunette's face, before pressing their lips together again in a chaste kiss. "I'm kidding."

"You'd better be. But as payback, let's go skate more."

"Do we _have_ to?"

x-x-x

"Mm, I've missed this," Rachel murmured against Quinn's lips before she kissed her, deeply, hands skimming along the blonde's sides absently, lingering a little as they brushed the sides of her breasts.

They were back at the blonde's apartment, having stayed out on the ice until it closed, and heading straight back to bed as soon as they'd left. They were both wearing only their underwear, their skin burning wherever they touched, and Rachel felt like she was flying.

"I've missed _you_," Quinn replied when they broke apart, from underneath Rachel's slender figure. Their legs were tangled, chests pressed together, and the blonde's hands were resting lightly on the small of the brunette's back, drawing patterns over the tanned skin.

Rachel's nose brushed against the blonde's jaw as her lips sought out the skin of her neck, Quinn tilting her head to one side to give the brunette better access, one hand reaching up to bury in dark tresses, a content moan escaping her as lips trailed languidly over her skin.

"Question," Rachel paused at the blonde's collarbone, tracing a her index finger over one as her lips rested over the other, admiring the way Quinn's eyes had flickered shut, but opened now to look enquiringly at the brunette. "How far am I allowed to go tonight?"

"However far you want to go," Quinn whispered back, a heat in her eyes that made Rachel shiver slightly in anticipation. "But," the blonde continued, lips curving into a slight smirk. "Bear in mind that at a certain point it's going to be heard to stop."

"I'm willing to take that chance," she breathed against unblemished skin, lips descending quickly downwards until they met the barrier of the blonde's blue bra. Fingers tightened in her hair, deliciously so, as she littered kisses around the edge.

"Tease," Quinn murmured, breathing ragged, as her chest arched upward. Rachel hummed against her skin in response, hands slipping around the blonde's back to flick her bra open, peeling it off her body impatiently.

"Better?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, admiring the way Quinn looked in the moonlight filtering through the half-covered window. She was stunning, a goddess – and she was _hers_. She sat up, legs moving to straddle the blonde's waist as she leant back on her knees, one hand tracing lightly up the centre of the blonde's chest, raking her nails against the skin on the way back down, and the noise that fell from Quinn's lips was music to her ears.

"Much better," the blonde breathed, and Rachel moved back down to capture her lips in a crushing kiss, spurred on by Quinn's gentle hands, now on her ass, nails digging in just slightly as their tongues met, sliding together, and the brunette let out a content sigh into the blonde's mouth.

Her hands, idle for too long, splayed across Quinn's stomach, feeling the muscles tremble underneath her fingers. She rested her weight on one of her elbows without breaking the now-hungry kiss, and ran the fingertips of her hand up across the swell of the blonde's breasts, purposefully bypassing her nipple and then running back down her body, nails dragging across her lace-covered centre, delighting in the way the blonde bit down on her bottom lip in response to the touch, as her hips bucked, just slightly, into the brunette's hand.

"You're going to be the death of me," Quinn whispered into her ear when they pulled apart, pressing a lazy kiss to the brunette's cheek. They both panting, and Rachel admired every rise and fall of the blonde's chest, thinking that with the light flush that covered her cheeks and the darkening of her gaze, that she had never seen such a beautiful creature in her entire life.

As Quinn pulled her back down for another soul-searching kiss, she reached up to cup one her breasts in one hand, squeezing the blonde's nipple lightly between her fingertips, unable to resist any longer. Hands tightened in her hair, and a ragged moan left the blonde's lips as her head dropped back onto the pillow, back arching against the brunette, and Rachel loved this. Loved knowing she had such an effect on the other woman, loved seeing her reactions to everything that she did.

She was utter perfection.

Her mouth descended to the neglected breast, her tongue circling around a stiff peak before her teeth ran over the tip, gently, and then Quinn's legs were wrapped tightly around her waist, heels digging into the back of Rachel's back as the nails of the hand that wasn't buried in her hair scraped along her shoulder blades, making a pleased gasp escape her mouth.

Her eyes flickered upwards to see Quinn staring directly at her, lips parted and eyes burning into the brunette with such intensity that she could almost feel the heat. Without breaking eye contact, she let her tongue swirl around the blonde's nipple again, watching her eyes flicker shut in contentment as her mouth opened in a near-perfect 'o', and Rachel was sure that there was very little that could top this.

But then her mind fled to another place, of wondering what it would be like to watch the Quinn's face and reactions when her head was buried between the blonde's legs, and no, that was most definitely not a good thought to have right now.

Her mouth had gone dry, and she her eyes were still on Quinn's face, and she could hear the blonde's thundering heartbeat in her ears, feel her legs still wrapped securely around her, holding her in place.

And she could definitely feel heat pressed against her stomach, practically feel how wet Quinn was through the thin piece of material that separated her from Rachel's skin, and when she had to clench the hand that was supporting her weight into a fist in an effort not to rip the flimsy panties from the blonde's body, she knew that it was time to stop.

Quinn seemed to realise that, too, and let her legs drop from the brunette's body, and Rachel pressed their lips together in another kiss, this one slower and less urgent, both of them just enjoying the moment, and when the broke apart there was a feeling of contentment in Rachel's chest that she was sure she'd never felt before.

"We should probably get to sleep soon," she murmured against the blonde's neck, where her head was resting, and Quinn hummed in response, arms wrapping around the waist tightly. Rachel didn't know what time it was, and she didn't really care, either – she'd gladly spend the night awake just to have the chance to spend time with her girlfriend, but she knew it probably wasn't a wise idea.

Quinn rolled them so they were on their sides, facing each other, and Rachel's eyes opened to look into hazel. "You're beautiful," she murmured, running her index finger across the blonde's cheek, feeling her lips curve into a smile as she traced her jawline.

"So are you." Her voice was a little raspy, and that told Rachel that they should definitely get to sleep, because that was Quinn's I'm-exhausted-but-I'm-not-going-to-admit-to-it voice.

"Sleep," she whispered, pressing a goodnight kiss to soft lips and snuggling into the blonde's body, one arm under her head and the other thrown over the curve of a slender hip.

All in all, it had been a perfect night.

x-x-x

Rachel tried to be silent as she snuck back into her apartment the next morning. She really did, but when she slid the door quietly shut behind her and made to tip-toe towards Kurt's closed bedroom door, a voice from behind the couch had her stopping dead in her tracks.

"And just where have you been, young lady?" Rachel froze as Leroy's voice washed over her, her father rising from his seat and turning to face her arms folded across his chest. Rachel felt like a nervous teenager, which was a ridiculous, really – after all, she was nearly twenty-four years old, and it wasn't like she'd been out having slutty sex all night.

_Unfortunately._

"I… I ended up being out super late so I just crashed at my friend's place," she said with a shrug of her shoulders, trying to act nonchalant and hoping that she really was as good an actress as she thought.

"You're wearing different clothes," Leroy mused, and Rachel glanced down at herself even though she knew perfectly well what clothes she'd stolen out of the blonde's closet that morning. They smelled like Quinn, and she loved it – and that was the main reason why she'd ignored Quinn's suggestion that she start keeping a handful of her own belongings over at the blonde's place seeing as she spent so much time there.

"Well I didn't really want to be walking back this morning in the dress I had on last night." That was the truth, too – the last thing she'd wanted was to look like she was doing a walk of shame. Leroy seemed to apparently accept her answer, and the fact that she was clearly wearing women's clothing also seemed to abate him, so she slid unchallenged through the door to Kurt's bedroom.

He was awake, reading in bed, but as she shut the door behind her he put the book down. "Please tell me that you and Quinn finally did the deed last night and now I don't have to check behind every door that you're not sexing each other up in the phone."

Rachel rolled her eyes as she dropped the bag with her clothes from last night onto the floor, perching on the edge of the bed. "No, we did not."

"Jesus, Rach, how long are you going to make the poor woman wait for?"

"I'm not! It's just not the right time. I want it to be perfect."

"You do realise that if you wait for it to be perfect then there's never going to be a right time, right?"

"Yes, but there has to be a better time than one where I have to be back here as early as possible in order to avoid suspicion."

"I don't know why you don't just tell them, Rach. It's not like they're not going to be accepting."

"I know," Rachel sighed, playing absently with the blue comforter that sat at the end of the bed, for the cold winter nights. She wasn't entirely sure why she was hiding this from her fathers, if she was honest with herself. But she just didn't quite feel ready to tell them about her relationship with Quinn, not yet. She liked the bubble they'd been living in, liked having as few people knowing about it as possible, liked the drama being to a minimum.

And somehow, she felt like if she started telling a lot of people, then things would change.

"I will tell them, Kurt," she murmured when she realised that she hadn't really answered him. "Just… not yet."


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Sorry this took a little longer than usual - but this chapter is the longest chapter so far, so hopefully that makes up for it a little. **

* * *

It was mid-day when the Berry's car pulled into the driveway of their home back in Lima, Ohio, and Rachel paused as she stepped out of the backseat, appraising the building that she'd lived in for most of her life.

Kurt had gotten the plane with them, but Burt had picked him up at the airport to take him home, and they'd parted with the promise to meet up on Friday for lunch, with both of their families. It was a tradition that had evolved on their first year home for Thanksgiving after moving to New York – the only difference this time was that Finn wouldn't be joining them.

That gave Rachel a little pang in her chest, even though she rarely thought about him nowadays. Her thoughts were much-too consumed with the thought of a certain gorgeous blonde, who she'd snuck out of the apartment at six that morning to escort to JFK for her flight to LA.

It was the last time they'd be seeing each other until Sunday, four days from now, and there were states separating them, instead of mere blocks. It left her feeling strangely empty, not to mention alone, but she pushed that away and forced a smile as she followed her dad's through the front door.

Inside it was the same as always, with only a few changes, expected considering she hadn't been here since the previous Hanukah, her dad's having flown to New York to see her on their birthdays, which fell just a handful of days apart, in May.

She carried her bags up to her bedroom, sitting on the edge of her bed and glancing at the posters that still lined the yellow walls, catching sight of the mirror in-front of which she'd used to practice every one of her solos.

It was an indescribable feeling, to remember that knowing where she was now, on the crest of the wave that was the real start of her career. Evita auditions were in a couple of weeks, and she was hopeful about the part, if a little nervous.

She pulled her phone out of her purse and dialled Quinn's number – she'd promised to let the blonde know when she was home safe, and she'd rather hear her voice instead of sending a text, even though they'd only seen each other a few hours ago.

_"Yo."_ The voice that answered wasn't Quinn's, and Rachel smiled at Santana's simple greeting, half-wishing that she was in LA with the two of them and Brittany right now.

"Hi, Santana. Is Quinn there?"

_"She is, but that doesn't mean that I'm gonna let you talk to her. This is much more fun. You should see the look on her face right now, Berry, it's wonderful. I think she might explode."_ Rachel could hear voices in the background, and laughter, presumably Brittany's.

"I'd appreciate if you didn't actually let her explode. She's rather important to me, after all." There was a smile on her face, as she wound a strand of hair around her finger absently.

_"Yeah, yeah, I know how whipped you both are – ow!"_ Santana's shriek of pain was followed by the sounds of a scuffle, and then the sound of a door slamming, and then it was Quinn's voice on the other end of the phone, and her smile widened.

_"Sorry about that,_" she murmured, voice soft. _"Santana's an asshole."_ Rachel was fairly sure she heard a muted 'fuck you' from the blonde's end, and grinned.

"You sound like you're having fun."

_"I am, it's good to be back here. It'd be better if you were here too, though."_

"Yeah, same." She heard the heavy footsteps of one of her dad's coming up the stairs, and she bit her lip. "I think I'm going to have to go, I'm sorry."

_"Hey, don't apologise. I'll call you soon, okay? I miss you already."_

"I miss you too." She'd just pressed the little red button to end the call when Hiram's head appeared around the door.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine. What's up?"

"We were just wondering if you wanted to head down to Breadstix's with us for lunch?"

"Sure." She'd never really been overly fond of the restaurant, but it held a lot of memories, plus there weren't really that many places to eat in Lima aside from there. So she pulled her coat back on and slipped her phone into her pocket and followed Hiram downstairs and back into the car.

The streets looked exactly the same, as did the interior of Breadstix's, not that she'd really expected things to be much different. Even the menu was pretty much the same, though the waitress wasn't someone she recognised.

"So, you got any plans to meet you with any of your high school friends while you're back home?"

"Not really. Just Kurt. I haven't really kept in contact with many of the others, so…"

"At all? Not even that other Jewish boy? Puck, was it?" A crease formed between Hiram's eyebrows as he tried to recall the name, and Rachel was more than a little surprised that he'd managed to remember it.

"We don't talk anymore, no, but I know that he's in LA. Um, I'm actually pretty sure that that's who Finn was staying with." She saw her father's exchange a glance, almost as though his name was a swear word that she shouldn't say, making her feel about five years old again. "Seriously, I'm fine about it. Honestly."

"You seem sad being back here, though." She bit her lip, feeling guilty – if she had, it had most definitely been because she was here and Quinn wasn't.

"I'm not, honestly. It's just always a little weird coming back, that's all."

"Okay," Leroy said, but he didn't look convinced. "How do you know how Puck's doing then, if you don't keep in contact?"

"Oh. Uh…Quinn actually told me." She decided that the truth was best, even though she hadn't mentioned the name to her fathers for nearly five years, but she saw the recognition flicker in their eyes.

"Quinn? Fabray? Wasn't she the girl who bullied you for years?"

"She's different now." There was a defensive edge to her voice, but she hoped they didn't pick up on it. She tried to force her tone to stay even, instead. "She's different."

"If you say so, honey. I didn't know the two of you still talked, anyway."

"We didn't until a few weeks ago. She moved to New York recently." She shrugged, as though it was a minor event instead of the biggest and best thing that had ever happened to her in her twenty-three years.

"So you're friends now?"

"Yeah." And a lot more than that, too, her brain whispered, but she quashed that thought down. Not yet.

"That's good, then. Especially for her, it's got to be scary moving there without knowing anyone." Rachel hummed in agreement, grateful when the waitress arrived with their food, effectively interrupting the conversation and allowing her to steer it towards safer topics, that didn't make her want to spill her guts about the relationship she was hiding.

They were laughing about a story Rachel was telling about some of the backstage adventures that came with her job, when she happened to glance over at the door when it opened – and her laughter died in her throat.

Because there, strolling through the door and looking no different than the last time she'd seen him, at their graduation, came Puck, a swagger to his step as he sauntered over to a table not too far from where Rachel and her dad's sat.

And there, coming through the door behind him, was Finn.

x-x-x

"You told me that he was staying in LA for the holidays!" Rachel hissed down the phone at Kurt, torn between upset and furious, but settling on the latter because it was easier. As soon as she'd noticed her ex waltzing into the restaurant, she'd stood abruptly from their table and all but ran to the bathroom, locking herself inside and ringing her best friend and demanding an explanation.

_"I thought he was!"_ Kurt sounded almost as stricken as she did, on the other end of the line, and she almost felt bad for yelling at him when he'd answered the phone – almost. _"I swear I didn't know anything about this, Rach. I would have told you, you knew that."_

"Okay, okay, I believe you," she sighed heavily, tipping her head back so it lent against the bathroom stall, not even concerned about how unhygienic it probably was.

_"What are you going to do?"_

"I don't know. Somehow I don't think that staying in here is going to be an effective course of action, though." She could hear Finn knocking on the door to the bathroom, threatening to come in if she didn't come out.

Hence why she'd had to barricade herself in the stall.

_"You should go deal with it sooner rather than later, Rach."_

"But I don't wanna," she whined, and she heard Kurt laugh, the familiar sound making her feel a little better. "Fine," she sighed again, more dramatically this time. "I'll go. I'll call you after."

Her hand was on the latch of the lock of the stall when she heard the heavy wooden bathroom door open, and heavy footsteps walk inside, and she froze, every nerve ending in her body on edge, until she heard Finn speak, and then she just went to downright furious.

"Look, I know you're in there. I just want to talk. I feel shitty about what happened, but we can fix it. I know we can." It was the first time she'd heard his voice, properly, un-muffled by a door, since she'd told him to move out. Since Quinn had punched him.

Even though she didn't feel anything, romantically, for him anymore, the memory still hurt, started a dull ache in her heart – because it had been cruel, what he'd done to her. He could have walked out and left, or tried to work on things but no, instead, he'd gone out and fucked someone else, right there in their bed, without a care in the world for what she would feel if she ever found out about it.

Everything came back in a rush, then, all the emotion that she'd managed to forget about, having been distracted so wonderfully by Quinn, and it all made her so angry. The sound of his voice, once comforting, now made her blood boil.

She snapped the latch open and pulled the door open heavily, letting it crash against the wall as she stepped outside, jaw clenched and hands on her hips. He was leaning against the sinks, hands outstretched on either side of him, looking perfectly at ease.

Somehow that only added fuel to her fury.

"How dare you," she started, irritation lacing every word, and she was gratified when she saw him flinch, obviously not expecting this reaction. "How fucking dare you stroll on here ithout a care in the world, after what you did to me."

"I… I thought you'd want to talk. Every-everyone else did, too. They said that throwing away a relationship after so long without even trying was… was a waste." At least that cocky smile had been wiped off her face, and he looked a lot less certain than he had just a few seconds ago, which was an encouraging start. She'd been about to continue her tirade, ready to launch into a full rant, but his words cut her short.

"Who said that?" He didn't answer, just threw a helpless glance towards the door, and she stepped closer, teeth grinding together in annoyance. "Who the hell said that, Finn?"

"M-my Mom. And Burt. And…" He trailed off, looking even more uncertain, and she braced herself for the words that she already knew were going to come out of his mouth next, but even so, when they did she still felt a little winded. "And your dad's."

"They have absolutely no business meddling in our relationship. Or lack of, I suppose would be the most correct term. But let's get one thing clear, Finn – I have no interest in you, not anymore. You saw to that on the day that you decided that you'd rather fuck another woman than your own fiancé.

"I don't want to be with you; I feel nothing for you but disgust that I ever lowered myself enough to be content with what we had when it wasn't right, not for either of us. I loved you, once, but you threw that away, just like you threw me away. Do. Not. Contact. Me. Again." She finished in a growl, now so close that she could smell the scent of his aftershave, but whereas once it would have made her feel safe, now she just felt sick.

She'd been distracted, so she didn't see it coming. When he leant down and tangled a hand in her hair, pressing his lips to hers, hard and unyielding, she was so caught off guard that it took her a second to react.

But as soon as she realised what was happening, she twisted, bringing her knee up squarely in-between his knees, and as he crumpled in pain she scrambled backwards, one hand reaching to her mouth as though she could wipe away all memory of the kiss.

He looked up at her, through the pain, and his eyes when they met hers were aghast, though whether it was because he was so shocked that she'd kicked him or because he knew that he shouldn't have done it, she didn't know.

Tears welled up behind her eyes, horrified that the person she'd been set to marry had kissed her so savagely, as though he'd wanted to claim her with his lips, as though that could erase the last few months.

"I've moved on, Finn. You should, too," she whispered, voice sounding frail, even to her, but the meaning behind her words was anything but. And even though she couldn't look at him anymore without feeling faintly ill, she didn't wish anything bad for him. They'd been good together, for a while at least. "But I mean it - don't try to contact me again."

That came out with a harder edge, and without sparing him another glance she turned and stormed from the bathroom, letting that door slam behind her, too. Puck was stood a little way away from both of her fathers, and all three turned to look at her, but she ignored them, stalking past them and heading straight for the front door, pausing momentarily in the parking lot, because where could she go now?

The sound of the door opening behind her made her turn to face both Hiram and Leroy – at least they had the grace to look highly uncomfortable, and a little guilty. She just stared at them, because she didn't even know where to start.

Finn came stumbling through the doors, then, and her hands clenched into fists – was he really stupid enough to keep perusing this? Her dads must have seen her face change, because they turned slightly and when they noticed Finn, stepped aside slightly, so they weren't in-between the two.

"It's _her_, isn't it?" Was all Finn said, his mouth twisting around the words, and Rachel was momentarily lost, wondering how on earth he could possibly know anything – and then something clicked, in her mind. That day, that Quinn had hit him, he'd muttered something to her that the blonde had never revealed, and now, she could guess what that was. How the hell he'd managed to work it out, she didn't know, but she could worry about that later.

"Fuck off, Finn." She heard one of her dads take a sharp breath at that – she only ever swore when she was either pissed off or turned on, and neither of those were anything her fathers had ever been around for.

"It is, isn't it?" Finn took another step closer, a slightly hysterical laugh leaving his lips. "I don't fucking believe it. I always thought it was one-sided – I didn't think you were a dyke like her."

"Whoa, man. Not cool." It was Puck that spoke up, obviously having put two and two together and immediately jumping in to defend Quinn. He put a hand on Finn's chest, shoving him backwards a step. "Apologise to her."

"No. Why the fuck should I? I thought that it was my fault, that our relationship wasn't working, but it was because she had the hots for chicks the whole time." Rachel could feel the weight of her parents gaze, but she didn't turn to face them. She was feeling curiously numb, Finn's words just cementing the fact that he wasn't who she'd thought he was.

"Puck," she spoke up, finally, her eyes lifting from the floor to focus on him. He turned, looking surprised that she'd addressed him. "Can you take me home, please?" He glanced towards her dads, and then at Finn, before shrugging and inclining his heads towards a rental car that sat a few spaces away.

She walked towards it without another word, yanking her arm out of the Leroy's grip as he made a grab for her to stop her from leaving with Puck, but she didn't want to look at them right now. She'd thought that, from their comments about Finn over the last few days, that they respected her decision to not try to work through things, accepted that she was moving on, and happier for it.

But evidently not. They'd planned an elaborate scheme, presumably to try and get them back together, and as angry as that made her, it also made her want to cry. Puck slid into the driver's seat and turned the keys in the ignition, glancing over at her.

"Are you okay?" He asked, voice softly, reminding her distinctly of the boy who'd been her first friend, aside from Finn, in the glee club.

"I will be," she murmured, wiping tears from her cheeks as he pulled out of the space and headed towards her house, and she thought about what her next move would be, on the way over there. The thought of spending time alone with her dads right now was almost unbearable, considering their apparent disregard for what she wanted.

She knew that they meant well, that they only wanted what they thought was best for her – but that was definitely not Finn, in any way, shape or form. And once they saw that, they'd patch things up, but she didn't think she could be around them much right now.

They arrived at the Berry household much sooner than Rachel had anticipated, and Puck pulled the car to a stop outside. "Want me to come in with you?" He asked, obviously concerned about her, and she shook her head.

"No, I'll be okay. Thank you, though." She meant it, too. She hadn't realised until it know, but she kind of missed him. "Did you have a part in this?" It was clear what she was referring to, and she didn't really know why it was important for her to ask. She just wanted to know.

"No. I mean, I came back here with him, yeah, but I thought it was an idiotic idea. I knew that if you wanted to be back with him then you would have called him already, but he wouldn't listen to me."

"Now how come you knew that, but my own parents didn't?"

"I don't know, Rach. But they didn't mean to hurt you, they wanted to help. They thought this was for the best, so don't be too hard on them."

"When did you get so wise?"

"I always have been." He winked and ruffled her hair, and she laughed, feeling marginally better for it. "Is it true? About… about you and Quinn?"

"Yeah, it is." She didn't see the point in lying, not now that everyone already seemed to know about it.

"I'm happy for you," he murmured, honestly, and when she turned to face him his eyes shone with sincerity, and she leant across the small space between their seats and threw her arms around his neck in a hug.

"Thank you." It summed up all she wanted to say to him, and he squeezed her back gently before pulling back.

"Wouldn't want Q to castrate me if she found out I hugged you for a second longer than necessary," he explained with an easy grin, and she laughed again, but it was cut short when she noticed her dads car pull into the driveway in the rear-view mirror. "You should go. Talk to them."

"I will. Thanks, again. And if you ever want to come to New York, hit me or Quinn up. She'd never admit to it, but I think she secretly misses you and your man-whore ways."

"She said that about me?" He called, hand over his heart in a mock-shock as she climbed out of the car, smiling again. "I might take you up on that offer. Take care of yourself, Rach." She waved and watched him drive away before she turned to where her parents were standing, beside the front door, and, with a sigh, she made her way towards them.

All three were silent as they passed through the doorway and into the living room, Rachel settling on a chair, and her dads on the couch opposite. She fiddled with her fingers absently, not knowing what to say.

"We're sorry," Leroy eventually broke the silence, and she raised her eyes to meet his, but seeing the genuine apology in his brown eyes didn't make her feel any better. "We thought it would help."

"You thought wrong." Her tone was harsher than she'd intended, and she tried to reign it in. "Look, I know why you did it. But that doesn't make it any easier for me, and it doesn't make me feel any better about it. I came back here because I knew he wouldn't be here – you lied to me."

"Again, we're sorry. You didn't sound the same on the phone, and you were avoiding us. We thought that you were still broken-hearted, and when we actually saw you, in New York, you were different, and we thought it was because you missed Finn."

A laugh escaped her lips at that, sounding awfully bitter in the otherwise-quiet room. "That could not be the farthest thing from the truth."

"Well, we know that, now. Care to tell us who the 'she' is that Finn seems to think you're dating?" She bristled a little at that – she hadn't been ready to explain Quinn before, and she definitely wasn't ready to now, not after this. Not after her trust had been betrayed.

"No, actually, I don't."

"Oh?"

"I don't really feel like explaining myself right now. Look, I've already told you that I understand why you did it, but that doesn't make it any easier for me to be okay with the fact that you went behind my back and meddling in things when you shouldn't have. I love you guys, but this isn't okay. I can take care of things myself, now – I'm not a little girl anymore."

"We know that." Hiram spoke for the first time, reached across and taking her hand. "And we've said our apologises, and will continue to, until you believe us."

"I already do believe you," she murmured, still not quite able to look them in the eye, and still a little shaken from that kiss.

"Then where do we go from here?"

"Honestly? I don't know. But I do know that I'm not really up for staying here for the holiday." She felt Hiram flinch a little at that, dropping her hand, and she felt a flash of guilt at that, but it was the truth. Better to get it all out now.

The buzz of her phone in her purse interrupted her thoughts, and she retrieved it, ignoring the disapproving look her dad sent her. Quinn's name was flashing across the screen, and even though she was confused about what the blonde could be calling her about, her lips still quirked into a half-smile.

"Hello?"

"_Oh, my God, where have you been, I've tried calling you like, six times."_ She could hear distress in the blonde's voice, and she frowned, wondering what could have possibly gotten her so worked up in the hour or so since they'd last spoken.

"Hey, slow down. What's wrong?"

_"Are you seriously asking me that right now? I should be asking you that! Kurt called and said something about you freaking out and Finn? What's happened?"_

"He shouldn't have called you," she muttered, annoyed that he'd worried the blonde without even checking to see how Rachel was first. "I'm okay. And the situation is way too complicated to explain right now," she threw her fathers a look at that.

"_But you are okay?"_

"I'm fine. Stop worrying."

_"I can't help it. I don't like being so far away from you."_ The blonde's words sparked an idea in her mind, one that would solve her problem of wanting a little space from Lima. But no matter how much she wanted out, she'd have to check that it'd be okay first, no matter how angry she was.

"Can I call you back in like, five minutes?"

_"Okay?"_ Quinn sounded confused, but that couldn't be helped, and she put the phone down with a mumbled apology, turning so that she was facing her dads again.

"Was that her?" Hiram asked, looking suspiciously at the device in Rachel's hand, but she just ignored the question completely.

"What would you say if I wanted to send the holidays in LA?" A few seconds of silence followed her question, and she fidgeted a little awkwardly.

"If that's what you think you need," Leroy eventually answered, after sharing several long looks with Hiram. "But obviously, we'd rather you stayed here."

"I don't think that's such a good idea right now," she answered honestly, and they both nodded in silent agreement.

"Okay, then. But you have to promise to come home for Hanukah. And maybe then you'll be ready to bring this mysterious girl back with you."

"I promise," she answered, this time with the hint of a smile. "And I'll definitely ask her."

x-x-x

Quinn was pacing, but she couldn't help it – she was worried. And as she stood near the exit of LAX, eyes never straying far from the board that hung in the air a few metres away, announcing that Rachel's flight had landed over half an hour ago, her unease only grew.

The brunette had given her zero information about why she was suddenly coming to LA for the holidays (not that Quinn was disappointed about that, far from it), but when the only thing she knew was that Finn had been in Lima and apparently had some form of run-in with her girlfriend, it hadn't calmed her nerves in the slightest.

A flood of people suddenly started coming through the doors from the baggage claim, and Quinn forced herself to stand still, eyes searching for the woman that she'd come to know so well recently. She didn't notice the brunette until she was practically upon Quinn, Rachel's arms wrapping around her neck as her head ended up buried in the blonde's chest, and Quinn could do nothing else but slip her arms around Rachel's waist and hold her tightly – noting that the other woman was trembling slightly in her arms.

"You're scaring me," she finally whispered, when the silence had grown to be too much, when she felt Rachel suck in a tiny breath as though she was trying not to sob, and when the brunette pulled back there her eyes were shining with tears, but none of them had actually fallen.

"I'm sorry," Rachel replied, running a thumb across the blonde's cheek before leaning up to press a soft kiss to her lips. "But I'm okay. I swear."

"You don't look okay. And you haven't explained anything." She knew there was a slight note of desperation to her voice, but she didn't care.

"And I will, but first of all, where are we going?"

"Santana and Brittany are waiting in the car outside. Come on." Without asking, Quinn grabbed the brunette's suitcase and led her out of the sliding doors and into the cool LA air. Night had fallen not so long ago, but it was still a damn sight warmer than New York, and the blonde hadn't bothered with a jacket when they'd left Santana's and Brittany's apartment an hour ago.

As Quinn led her to the car, their hands clasped tightly together, Rachel re-told the story of what had happened to her earlier that day, and Quinn felt her face darken with every word, by the time they arrived at Santana's black Audi, she was practically glowering.

"Damn, Q, what the fuck happened to you?" The Latina herself asked after taking one look at the blonde's face, leaning against the hood of her car as she waited for the pair, Brittany stretched out beside her.

"Finn fucking Hudson," she all but spat, furious that that asshole had tried to lay a finger on her girlfriend, never mind kissing her. Just the thought of it made her sick, and she hadn't even been there – she dreaded to think what it must have been like for the brunette, and her hand squeezed Rachel's reflexively in response to the thought.

"Whoa, what did he do?" Santana's question was directed more towards Rachel, and Quinn indicated with a wave of her hand that the brunette could tell Santana whatever she wanted, as she hauled the trunk of the car open and lifted the brunette's suitcase into it, slamming it a little harder than necessary afterwards and earning a glare from Santana.

"He's an absolute dickhead," Santana supplied cheerfully when Rachel had finished recounted the story for the second time, as they were driving back to the apartment. Quinn was still furious, but Rachel's hand on her thigh was somewhat calming, her thumb rubbing soothing circles across the denim of the jeans she wore.

"I can think of a few better words than that," Quinn muttered venomously. "Are you sure you're okay?" She turned back the brunette, more anxious now that she knew the whole story.

"Yes, Quinn. I'm sure." Their eyes met, hazel connecting with brown, and Quinn wanted nothing more than to kiss the memory of Finn off of her.

"So you can stop freaking out now, blondie." Santana's eyes were trained on her via the rearview mirror. "Honestly, Berry, she was practically having an anxiety attack on the way over here."

"I'm sorry I worried you."

"Don't be ridiculous," Quinn murmured, and their eyes met yet again, and this time she couldn't help leaning across the short distance that separated them in the backseat of the car, kissing her chastely – and much more innocently than she actually wanted.

"Whoa, whoa. Hands and lips are to be kept to ones selves while inside this vehicle." Quinn rolled her eyes at Santana she leant back into her seat, and Rachel laughed, and she could already tell that the next few days were going to be some of the best of her life. She had her girlfriend and her best friends in the same place, finally, and she just knew that no matter what, it was going to be amazing.

"But Santana," Brittany began, speaking up for the first time since they'd actually started driving. "We don't keep our hands and lips to ourselves in here. Just last week we were having sex on the - "

"I'm going to cut you off there, Britt, because I do not need another addition to the 'places where you and Santana have had sex' list," Quinn interrupted, and she saw a devilish smirk spread across Santana's lips as Rachel laughed again beside her.

"It's a long list," Brittany said seriously, nodding, and Quinn could only silently agree, thinking that, no matter how many of them she knew, she probably didn't even know the half of it.

Thankfully, there arrived at the apartment block then, Santana parking in the underground garage underneath, before the three of them led Rachel up onto the fourth floor, where their apartment, 4C, was located.

Quinn looked at the door opposite with a slight pang in her chest, because as much as loved New York and being with Rachel, there were times when she missed her life here. And, though she'd never admit it, she knew that Santana missed having her around, too. Brittany had told her how much she missed her as soon as the blonde had met them in the same place where she'd just picked up Rachel from.

"This is a nice place," Rachel mused, eyes scanning the across the living room, where the front door opened up into. The kitchen was attached, and then there were three other doors – two being bedrooms, and one being the bathroom.

"It'll do," Santana shrugged modestly, kicking off her boots and jumping gracefully onto the couch, flipping the TV on as she stretched out across it. "Make yourself at home." Brittany moved to curl up, cat-like, beside her, and Quinn inclined her head to the guest room, and Rachel nodded, following a half-step behind her.

"No dirty sex anywhere in this apartment!" Santana called just before the door shut, and Quinn shook her head, knowing full well that the brunette was just teasing her – she knew that they hadn't slept together yet.

To Quinn's amusement, Rachel pulled the door open a fraction of an inch and mustered up the most innocent voice that she could. "What about regular, non-dirty sex?" Quinn watched Santana's face go from shocked to amused, her eyes glittering as she grinned.

"You know what, I like you, Berry."

"Why thank you, Santana. Does this mean I'm permitted to have sex in here, then?"

"Not a chance in hell."

"Ah, unfortunate that I don't follow rules then, really, isn't it?" She stuck her head back in the door and shut it behind her then, locking it with a flick of her wrist, before advancing on the blonde and practically tackling her back on the bed.

They landed tangled together, as their lips met in a hungry kiss, Rachel's mouth hot on hers as their tongues met, and she felt the scrape of the brunette's teeth against her bottom lip as her head titled, and she moaned softly, needing more.

Her hands trailed upwards until they were on the brunette's chest, squeezing both her breasts gently, gratified at the content sigh that slipped from Rachel's mouth and into hers. Emboldened, her hands slid under her thin t-shirt, nails scraping gently over her stomach before tugging the cups of her bra down roughly, fingers closing over both nipples and pinching them lightly.

The moan that came from Rachel's mouth was almost guttural, her teeth closing on Quinn's lip and biting down just hard enough for it to hurt but in a good way, and Quinn felt hips buck into her, and then there was a warm thigh pressed right _there_ and her back arched upwards, her head falling back onto the bed as Rachel thrust down again, purposefully.

"God," she gasped as her hips rose upwards, shamelessly meeting every single one of Rachel's downwards thrusts, and when their eyes met the brunette's were wild with a passion and desire that Quinn had never seen there before – it threatened to devour her, and she would gladly let it.

Gladly, if it had her feeling like she did right now.

Her own thigh rose to meet Rachel's sex, and she was rewarded with another moan, as the brunette's mouth closed around her pulse point, biting down hard enough to leave a mark, the message clear – Quinn was hers, and she was more than happy to wear that title.

She moved her other leg over the brunette's hip, opening herself up more to the deliciously friction that Rachel's thigh was offering her, and the brunette did the same, and fuck, Quinn felt like she was flying.

She could feel how wet she was, wouldn't be surprised if her jeans would be wrecked after this encounter, but she didn't care – every time they'd been alone together lately (not that it had been very often), it had turned into torturous foreplay, and Quinn needed this. She'd lost count of how many times she'd ended up with her hand between her own legs after their encounters, but if felt nothing like this.

Rachel's breath was in her ear, panting slightly in exertion, and Quinn's chest was heaving too, and her hair was starting to stick to her forehead with sweat, but she didn't care because she could feel the pressure building, and she was so, _so_ achingly close, and then she was there, pleasure flooding through every single nerve in her body, and her nails raked down Rachel's back, probably leaving marks, as the brunette smothered her cry with a hard kiss, and then she could feel the brunette clenching against her thigh, and that nearly set her off all over again.

"Hey," she murmured when she'd come down from her high, with Rachel splayed across her body, lazy smile on her face. Their eyes met, and then Rachel blushing.

"I can't believe I just did that." She sounded vaguely mortified, but Quinn only grinned, her fingers playing absentmindedly with a strand of dark hair.

"Did what?" She asked, an unintentional husk to her voice. "Came against my thigh?" She was teasing, but Rachel's blush brightened, hiding her face in the crook of the blonde's neck. "Hey. You don't need to be embarrassed, okay? That was incredibly hot. And you weren't the only one."

"I practically jumped you."

"I assure you, it was thoroughly enjoyable." Her head lifted at that, a soft smile on her lips, and Quinn liked to think that those were the smiles that were reserved just for her. She kissed her, then, the kind of kiss that starts of slow but then builds, and when they broke apart they were panting once again. "You have no idea how much I've missed you these last few days."

"I think I can guess how much." Another kiss, and Quinn wrapped her arms around the brunette's waist, feeling utterly content. That was until the doorhandle to the room started jiggling, and then there was a heavy knock on it, too.

"Whatever the fuck you're doing in there, I just made a new rule and that's no locked doors. So open up."

"Fuck off, Santana!" Quinn called, but Rachel was grinning, a hint of mischief in those gorgeous brown eyes that Quinn adored. "What?"

"Wanna have some fun with her? Get her back for all the emotional scarring that she and Brittany have undoubtedly caused you?" Quinn just nodded, extremely curious what the brunette was planning. "Take off your clothes."

"Uh, what?" Not the direction she'd been expecting, after all, but Rachel had already hopped off of her and the bed, and was pulling off her shirt, undoing the buttons of her pants but leaving them on, letting them hang low on her hips. The brunette didn't answer her question, just looked at her expectantly as Santana hammered on the door again.

"You guys, seriously. Open the door. I wanna order take-out soon and I can't do that without your input. Why do you have to be a vegan, Berry?" Finally deciding that she may as well have a little fun, Quinn undid her jeans and slid them down her legs, throwing them off into one of the corners of the room, and yanking her shirt over her head, too.

"We're a little busy in here, Santana," Rachel called through the door, but her eyes were on Quinn, devouring her with a single look, and her gaze lingered between the blonde's legs, no doubt noticing the damp patch on the black lace.

"I refuse to believe that, Berry. I know you aren't doing the nasty in there, you wouldn't dare with other people about, I know Q. I only say half the shit I do 'cause I like seeing her blush."

"Seriously Santana. You don't want me to open this door."

"Fucking do it, Berry. You're bluffing." Rachel turned to Quinn with a raised eyebrow, a question in her eyes, and the blonde merely shrugged, curious as to how this was going to play out. She leant back against the pillows, and crossed her legs over one another, ignoring the pout the brunette threw her at the obstructed view.

"Okay, fine, don't believe me…" Rachel huffed and flung the lock back, pulling the door just slightly open and then letting it swing the rest of the way by itself. Quinn saw Santana's eyes widen as she took in Rachel's half-naked appearance, widening even more when she noticed Quinn sprawled across the bed.

She knew that Santana would think that they were playing her, if not for the swollen lips on the both of them, the tousled hair, and not to mention to probable blissful look on Quinn's face, still floating a little from the orgasm that she'd managed to have without even that much contact with the brunette.

And Santana took all that in, looked stricken as her brown eyes locked with Quinn's, who just smirked. "Oh, my God," she heard her muttered before she finally averted her eyes, but she didn't walk away. "Okay, well, good for you, but I still want your sorry asses out here. Unless you don't want food. Because I don't cook, bitches, and unless you're out here and fully dressed in one minute than I will order every single meat dish on this menu."

She waved the take-out menu she held in her hands menacingly, but she still couldn't raise her eyes from where they were trained in the floor. She turned and walked away then, and Rachel let the door shut behind her, and the two of them burst into uncontrollable laughter as soon as it clicked closed.

"That was priceless." Quinn was certain that she'd never seen Santana looked so perturbed, and the look of glee on Rachel's face now was almost as precious. "But she was probably serious about the take-out thing."

"I thought so." Quinn vaulted neatly off the bed and to the closet that stood in the corner, selecting some sweats and an old Yale hoodie to change into, as Rachel too pulled on some comfortable looking clothes.

The brunette caught Quinn's lips in another kiss before they left the room, hard enough the leave the blonde breathless when they parted. "We should get a hotel room, one night," she murmured against the blonde's lips, her intention about just what they would get up to in that hotel room clear in her voice, before she turned and strolled through the bedroom door without so much as another glance.

"Tease," Quinn muttered under her breath, but she followed anyway. They'd have their time together soon enough, she vowed. She'd make certain of it.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:**

**Sorry, once again that this took a while! This story will be coming to end very shortly, I think - I have a plan for just two more chapters and then an epilogue, which should hopefully wrap things up nicely. **

**Hope you enjoy this one, and as always any comments/reviews are most definitely appreciated. :)**

* * *

Rachel woke up the day after Thanksgiving to an empty bed – she rolled over to the left, where Quinn slept, and discovered that the space was cold; she'd been gone for a while. A glance at the clock shoved that it was eleven in the morning, which was probably why – the blonde wasn't used to sleeping in, and she always got restless lying in bed and waiting for the brunette to get up.

She could hear soft voices through the door, and decided to go and investigate, pulling on new underwear, jeans and a shirt and heading for the kitchen via the bathroom. Quinn and Santana were sat opposite each other at the kitchen table, but Brittany was nowhere in sight.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Quinn murmured in greeting as the brunette pulled the chair out next to her, pressing a gentle kiss to Rachel's cheek.

"You guys are disgustingly cute," Santana commented from across them, but Quinn just laughed. Yesterday had been the best day that Rachel had had in a long time – she and Santana hit it off surprisingly well, and the other brunette was as hilarious as always, making Quinn blush with pretty much every other comment (which was adorable).

"Where's Britt?" Rachel asked as Santana rose with a mutter about needed some more coffee, and she felt Quinn's hand rest lightly on her thigh under the table.

"She's gone for a run, I think. Oh, that reminds me - tonight we're going out with some of her friends from work, if you two can be trusted to be here alone."

"Of course we can be trusted," Quinn replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Uh-huh. No sex anywhere."

"Yeah, yeah," Quinn muttered, and Rachel covered up a laugh with a cough – the two of them were entertaining when they were together. "Are we not invited, then? Were you going to leave me here on my own if Rach hadn't turned up? Wow, S, that's cold. That hurts." Quinn clutched one hand to her heart, trying not to laugh as her eyes met the Latina's.

"You're ridiculous, Fabray. You can come if you want, but I figured you'd want some time alone with your girl."

"I guess," the blonde replied, ducking out of the way as Rachel swatted lazily at the back of her head with a hand, too happy to be offended. "Just kidding," Quinn murmured, kissing her again, on the lips this time to another mutter of 'disgustingly cute' from Santana.

The front door opened then, and Brittany appeared with a dazzling smile. "You guys, guess who I found on my run?" Three blank faces stared at the blonde, so she just shrugged and let the door fall fully open, revealing two of their old glee clubbers: Mercedes and Sam, holding hands.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Evans?" Rachel heard Santana hiss from behind them, and she remembered then that he and Brittany had had a (very brief) relationship after she and Santana had split back in the first year of college. Sam, for the most part, looked highly uncomfortable.

"Brittany invited us back here," he said with a helpless shrug, and Rachel felt sorry for him, choosing to break the attention by bounding to her feet and hugging the both of them.

"I don't know why you're so happy, Berry – Britt isn't the only one in this room who he's made out with," Santana called, loudly, and she froze for a second, uncomprehending, and then she saw the furious glare that Quinn shot Santana, and remembered.

_Of course_. He'd dated Quinn. He'd _kissed _Quinn. She forced herself not to react to that like she wanted to (mainly by telling him to leave), and instead stepped back, forcing a smile that turned genuine as her attention fell on Mercedes.

"Long time no see, Rachel," she said with an easy smile. "How you been, girl?"

"Amazing, thank you. But how about you?"

"Not too bad. Had some trouble trying to get an album out there, but I'm hoping my first song will be released in a couple of weeks. That's actually why we're here for the holidays, they wanted me working."

"And how about you, Sam?"

"I've got a job as a music teacher in a school. It's not much, but I enjoy it."

"You guys can come in and sit down, you know," Brittany spoke up, having perched on one of the couches as Rachel and the others were talking. Santana was still in the kitchen, with her arms crossed tightly across her chest, looking furious, and Quinn was stood beside her, probably trying to calm her down.

"Yes, please, make yourself at home," the brunette added, but there was an acidic tone to her voice that contradicted her words.

"Santana." Quinn's voice held a note of warning, and the brunette turned to glare at her – they held each other's stare for what felt like hours until the Latina finally conceded, looking away first and then following Quinn to sit down.

Santana sat as close to Brittany as possible, and Rachel curled up in the chair, Quinn perching on the arm, leaving the other couch for Sam and Mercedes.

"Are you going to be nice now, Santana?" Brittany asked her girlfriend, who only muttered something too low for any of the others to hear. "I don't know why you're being so uptight, it isn't like there isn't someone in this room who _you've _slept with and I'm not jealous."

The statement hung in the air while the six of them pondered that – Mercedes, Sam and Rachel all looking confused, Santana looking a little miffed that Brittany had said that, and Brittany was just looking at her brunette girlfriend with a raised eyebrow.

And Quinn… Quinn looked absolutely mortified.

"Quinn Fabray!" Rachel said with a gasp, her eyes locking with hazel, unable to keep the shock off of her face. "You… and… ohmygod."

"It was only one time!"

"Well, twice, actually…" Santana drawled, and Rachel whipped around to face the other brunette who just held her hands up apologetically. "What?"

"Thanks for the help there, S, really appreciate it," Quinn growled from Rachel's right, glaring down at Santana.

"When did this _happen_?"

"It was Scheuster's wedding, wasn't it?" Mercedes spoke, looking at the blonde with a knowing expression on her face. "Don't give me that look, Quinn, I saw the two of you. You were all over each other."

"All over each other, hmm? Well." Rachel was still stunned, but now she was leaning towards being annoyed that the blonde hadn't told her – after all, it wasn't like she never spoke to Santana anymore.

"Rach, wait - " Quinn's hand grasped her wrist as the brunette bolted from the chair, her grip tight. "Look, I was drunk and I was confused about my sexuality and she was _there_, okay? It didn't mean anything."

"Even though I rocked her world."

"Santana, shut the fuck up for once, will you?" Quinn's eyes were pleading when they re-connected with brown. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. But I know you had sex with Finn that night, too, so…"

"So that makes us _even_?"

"Well, no, but I - "

"You're lucky you're too pretty to stay mad at," Rachel muttered, shooting the blonde a glare when she smiled in relief that she was off the hook – it dropped quickly when their eyes met. "And _you_," she turned around, eyes meeting Santana's. "Are not allowed to make any over-sexualised comments about my girlfriend. Ever. Again."

"Aw, but that's half the fun!"

"Ever!"

"Fine," Santana muttered, and Rachel sank back down into the chair, yanking Quinn down on her lap and wrapping her arms possessively around the blonde's waist, noting the way that Mercedes and Sam were looking at the pair of them with slight disbelief.

"Okay, so we're going to need bringing up to speed," Mercedes finally said. "You two of _dating _now? Since when?"

"Not very long," Rachel answered, resting her chin on the blonde's shoulder.

"How did _that _happen?"

"Quinn had repressed feelings for me for our entire high school life, tried to forget about me but all that went out of the window when we reconnected just a few short weeks ago. My relationship with Finn had been deteriorating for quite some time, and the final straw was when I walked in on him cheating on me – we broke up, which left me free to pursue a relationship with Quinn when she finally had the guts to show me how she felt. I think that about sums it up, don't you?"

"Apart from the part when you make me sound like a lovesick puppy, yes," Quinn replied dryly.

"Well, maybe if you'd told me about the fact that you and Santana had had sex then I would have been more complementary." Quinn rolled her eyes at that, and the other four laughed at their bickering.

"You two act like an old married couple," Mercedes informed them with a smile, and Rachel felt Quinn merely shrug in response.

"Aren't they disgustingly cute?" Santana asked, seeming to have relaxed a little bit more now, but she still refused to look Sam in the eye.

"Is that your new favourite phrase or something, S?" Santana nodded in response to Quinn's question, the picture of seriousness. "You and Brittany were the same when you first got together, you know."

"Nu-uh. Not like you two."

"Yes, like us two. And considering how desperate you were for us to get together, maybe you should shut up about it."

"Oh, please, Q, I was only 'desperate' for you to get together so that you'd stop moping around."

"I did not mope!" Quinn leant further forward in Rachel's arms, and met Santana's gaze head on – Rachel wasn't sure whether to be alarmed or amused, but she could see Brittany trying to hide a grin so figured things couldn't be too dire.

"Yes you did! All the fucking time!"

"Oh, don't even get me started on moping – you can't talk, with how you were when you and Brittany broke up."

"I was heartbroken – it's allowed!"

"Do you think we should stop them?" Mercedes asked, as Quinn and Santana both rose to their feet, taking a step closer to each other as they continued bickering.

"Nah, they'll stop eventually," replied Brittany, watching the pair of them with mild curiosity. "This happens all the time, you just gotta let them let it all out."

"It looks like they're about to beat the crap out of each other," murmured Sam, speaking for the first time without being asked a direct question. His voice seemed to snap Santana's attention away from Quinn, because she turned to round on the poor guy as soon as he'd finished speaking.

"Did I give you permission to speak in my house, Evans?"

"Santana, leave him alone," Quinn said with an exasperated shake of her head. The brunette's eyes locked with Quinn's once more, and then with an over-exaggerated sigh Santana flopped back down on the couch next to Brittany.

"See, told you they'd stop eventually," the other blonde spoke up, resting her hand on Santana's leg as the Latina leant into her side, arm wrapping around Brittany's shoulders.

"Look, you guys, as fun as it's been," Mercedes started, rising to her feet and pulling Sam with her. "We should probably get going. It was nice to see y'all again. We should have coffee sometime, or something."

"It'd have to be this weekend," Rachel answered, rising to her feet to stand beside her girlfriend. "As Quinn and I will be heading back to New York on Sunday."

"Well I'll call you if I have some spare time. See you soon." After a round of hugs, both Mercedes and Sam left the apartment, with the promise that they'd try and meet up again before Sunday. Rachel wasn't entirely sure that anything would actually be organised – Santana looked far too gleeful to be rid of Sam.

"What time are you two out tonight?" Quinn asked after they'd left, starting to make lunch after realising that Rachel had yet to eat that day.

"Seven, I think, and we won't be back 'til late. Why?"

"Oh, no reason." But there was a mysterious look on the blonde's face that made Rachel sure that she was lying – she tried to catch Quinn's eye but the blonde was looking resolutely anywhere but at her. She turned to Santana, who only shrugged helplessly.

"I don't know. She's your girlfriend, you should know what she's up to before I should."

x-x-x

"You're hiding something from me," Rachel pouted, later that night after Brittany and Santana had already left. Quinn had been avoiding being alone with her all day, and had snuck out on more than one occasion to take a secretive phonecall – it was driving the brunette crazy.

"Maybe, but it's for your own good."

"That's no fun!" Quinn merely grinned, taking a step closer and pressing a sweet kiss to her lips that almost, _almost_, made her forget what they'd been talking about. "How about," the blonde continued, lips trailing down Rachel's neck, pressing a kiss to her skin after every word she spoke. "We get dressed up and I can take you somewhere nice?"

"I guess that would make me feel better. And I still cannot believe that you slept with Santana. _Santana_, Quinn." The blonde stepped back with a groan, running a hand through her hair.

"Are you seriously going to keep bringing this up? I was drunk, and I was lonely, and she wanted to forget about Brittany, just for a little while. It didn't mean anything then, and it sure as hell doesn't mean anything now, okay?"

"I know, I just… It's weird." Quinn laughed at that, pulling the brunette back into her arms, wrapping her in a hug. "She's seen you _naked_."

"And so have several other people, Rach. And hopefully you will soon, too."

"Mm, maybe _then _I'll stop bringing it up." She titled her head back to bring her lips to Quinn's for another kiss, but the blonde stepped away before it could get too heated.

"Get ready."

"I like it when you're assertive." She saw Quinn bite her lip at that, and Rachel smirked a little, glad that the blonde wasn't completely immune.

"No, seriously. I made reservations and everything."

"Is that what your super-secret phonecalls were about?"

"One of them." She smiled a secret smile, and Rachel frowned at her girlfriend, but the blonde merely grinned and turned away. "Get ready!" She called over her shoulder, before grabbing a pile of bag beside the door that had the edge of a dress peeking out from it, and leaving the room.

"Where are you going?" Rachel asked, sticking her head around the door to see the blonde retreating into Santana and Brittany's bedroom.

"If I got changed in-front of you, that'd ruin the surprise." She winked at the brunette before shutting the door behind her, leaving Rachel standing and gaping after her. Quinn was definitely far too sexy for her own good.

Half an hour later they were both ready, and Rachel eyed the red dress that the blonde was wearing appreciatively.

"Is that dress the surprise?" The brunette asked, meeting the blonde in the middle of the living room and kissing her once, softly.

"No, the surprise is what I'm wearing _under_ the dress."

"Fuck," Rachel whispered, the sultry tone of the blonde's voice not lost on her, and she heard a laugh rumble in Quinn's chest.

"Come on, we're going to be late." Quinn took the brunette's hand and led her through the front door, locking it behind them. She saw the blonde shoot a slightly wistful glance at the door opposite, before she looked hastily away.

"Do you miss it? Living here?" Rachel asked as they made their way outside, watching a thoughtful look spread across the blonde's face.

"Yes, and no. I know that there's a lot more opportunity in New York, and I'm incredibly lucky to be where I am, but… I miss living so close to Santana and Brittany. But being closer to you is obviously a bonus."

"Do you think they'll ever move out to join us?"

"I think so. Santana and I were talking about it before you got up this morning, actually. It's Britt that doesn't want to move yet, Santana's ready for it whenever. She doesn't like her job very much anymore."

"But what would she do in New York?"

"No idea. I guess part of the reason she wants to move is so that she can look for new opportunities. And it's not like Britt wouldn't have anything to do, but…" Quinn shrugged, not really understanding the other blonde's reason for hesitating. "Hopefully they'll move soon."

"You miss them." It wasn't a question, but Quinn still nodded, as she led Rachel around a corner and down a street that had become familiar to her during her time in LA, being the home to her favourite restaurant.

"Of course I do. We've been together for years, minus the years in college, but… I don't know. It's weird having so much time to myself in New York, that's for sure." Rachel nodded along with the blonde's words, her eyes taking in the buildings around them – she'd never been to LA before, and aside for the drive over from the airport that first night, she hadn't left the apartment for long enough to see the city.

"It's just down here," Quinn murmured, snapping her out of her thoughts as the blonde opened the door of a cute little restaurant tucked into a row of shops. She wondered if Quinn had come here often, when she'd lived here, and decided that it didn't really matter – well, maybe it did if she wasn't the first date being brought here.

They were shown to a table fairly quickly, even though it was busy, and the waitress that led them over seemed to recognise Quinn, though she said little more than a greeting. But then, when they'd sat down and she was flicking through the menu, she heard the blonde's name uttered by a voice that wasn't hers and her head snapped around to see a redhead staring at her girlfriend with a mixed range of emotion on her face.

"Quinn? I thought it was you! What are you _doing _here? I thought you moved." The woman took a few steps forward so that she was stood beside the blonde's chair, speaking with an easy familiarity that made Rachel's eyes narrow as she watched them. Hazel eyes shot to meet hers, briefly – almost guiltily.

"Uh, yeah, I did, but I'm here for the holidays. I, um, didn't think you'd be working tonight."

"Unfortunately so. How long are you back for?"

"Flying back tomorrow."

"Oh, shame you aren't here for longer. It'd be fun to catch up." Her hand moved to rest lightly on the blonde's shoulder, and Rachel's glare only intensified – no-one, _no-one _got away with flirting with Quinn right in-front of her.

No-one.

She cleared her throat, loudly, causing Quinn to jump and the redhead to turn towards her, as if she was noticing her for the first time. Their eyes met as they both sized each other up, the blonde looking more and more uncomfortable with each passing second.

"Quinn?" Rachel was the first to break the silence, keeping her voice purposefully innocent. "You haven't introduced us."

"Um, Rach this is Amy. Amy, this is Rachel."

"Her girlfriend," the brunette murmured when it became clear that the blonde wasn't going to add that on to the end, and she put on a smile glittering with malice when Amy extended her hand towards her.

"Nice to meet you."

"Sure." They held each other's stares for another moment, but then the redhead was called away by another waitress, finally leaving them alone. Rachel turned her eyes back to Quinn with a raised eyebrow, noting that the blonde looked even more uncomfortable now than she had before, if that was possible.

"Quinn. Explain yourself."

"She's… an ex."

"You brought me to where your ex works. On a date."

"I didn't know she'd be working! And besides, this is my favourite place to eat."

"Oh, I bet it is," Rachel muttered under her breath, but she relented a little when she saw how stricken Quinn looked. "Sorry."

"You don't have to apologise, Rach. But let's just have fun tonight, yeah? I have plans that you won't want to ruin, I assure you." Their eyes met, and there was a smouldering heat in Quinn's eyes that she was sure made her heart stop, and she was still left a little speechless when the waitress returned to take their order.

Thankfully, Amy didn't come back to the table while they were eating, and only waved goodbye when she caught Quinn's eye was they were leaving, her hand clutched possessively in Rachel's as they passed through the door.

Outside, the blonde led her left, and refused to answer any of her questions about where they were headed, which just frustrated her endlessly. "This isn't fair, Quinn!"

"Tough," the blonde replied in a murmur, a lopsided smile on her face when the brunette pouted in response. "Technically, you should know where we're going. _You _suggested it."

"What?" But Quinn just smiled mysteriously and continued walking, practically dragging her along as she tried to recall when she'd suggested _anywhere _for them to go, and only clocked what the blonde meant when they were outside their destination – the Four Seasons.

"Quinn."

"Rachel." Their eyes met again, with that same heat, as they stopped just outside the doors, Rachel's heart racing with the implications of what this meant. Quinn must have seen something in her gaze, because she went from sexy to worried within a matter of seconds. "Hey, what's wrong? Nothing has to happen if you don't want it to, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done anything without as - "

Rachel cut off the blonde's rambling with a kiss, just a light brush of her lips over the taller woman's, but it was enough to silence her. "It's fine," she breathed when they broke apart, her eyes still closed as she just breathed in the scent of the blonde's addictive perfume. "I just didn't expect it, is all. But it is _more _than okay."

When she finally opened her eyes it was to lock with hazel, darker than usual, and she bit her lip, knowing that if Quinn kept looking at her like that then she was going to have great difficulty making it to their room without just ripping her clothes off beforehand.

"Let's go, then, shall we?" The blonde looped her arms through one of the brunette's before leading her inside, heading over to the reception desk and getting their room key. Rachel wasn't listening to their conversation, her mind too preoccupied with the thought that she would _finally _have the chance to be alone with the blonde without any distractions, just the two of them, together.

Pretty much as soon as the keys were in Quinn's hand she was being tugged towards the elevators, and as soon as the blonde had pressed the button for their floor they were kissing, her hands burying themselves in Quinn's hair as the blonde pressed her back against the wall, tongue by-passing her lips and sliding across hers.

They broke apart at the 'ding', both flushed and breathing heavily, as they practically ran to their room, half-way along the corridor. When the door was safely shut and locked, Rachel spun them a round and pressed Quinn against it, pulling the blonde's bottom lip into her mouth and grazing it lightly with her teeth, rewarded with a low moan as hands raked down her back, over her dress.

She was being pushed towards the bed soon enough, and was pushed down on-top of it, Quinn quickly following her, the blonde's weight settling over her and pressing her lightly down into the mattress.

"You're wearing too many clothes," she breathed against Quinn's mouth when they parted, and the blonde hummed low in her throat in agreement, allowing Rachel to push her lightly backwards. She gathered the material of the blonde's dress in her hands and lifted it gently over her hips, letting her fingers graze every inch of skin as she listened to the blonde's laboured breathing.

Her own breath caught when she noted that the only thing that covered the blonde under the dress was a very, _very _skimpy thong, red lace that had her licking her lips, even as she pushed the dress higher, over Quinn's chest and revealing that she'd neglected to put a bra on underneath.

"You're so beautiful," she murmured, reverently, after the dress had been thrown haphazardly to the floor, as she trailed one hand down the blonde's sternum, over the quivering muscles of her stomach and then back up again, eyes locked with hazel

"So are you," the blonde managed between a soft moan as Rachel's hand brushed lightly against one her breasts, grazing gently over a pebbled nipple. The brunette's other hand moved to Quinn's hip, pulling her back down so that their lips met once more, desire pouring between them as she circled the blonde's nipple, gratified at the groan that escaped the blonde's mouth as she tugged a little harder. "Now who's wearing too many clothes?"

It was a breath into her ear as Quinn's lips descended down her neck, pressing heated, wet kisses against her skin, teeth grazing lightly every so often. Her hands fisted into the blonde's hair, pressing her impossibly closer as her hips raised against Quinn's thigh, desperately seeking some form of friction.

She was already aching for the blonde's touch, desperately wet underneath her dress, fairly sure that her underwear was completely ruined but unable to find the energy to care as insistent fingers pulled her dress down, baring her breasts, clad in a black bra, to the blonde's eager mouth.

Torturously slowly, the blonde peppered kisses around the outline of her bra, until Rachel was sure that she was going to pass out before Quinn actually did anything – her skin felt like it was alight, her every nerve alive under the blonde's touch.

"Quinn," she gasped, breathless, one hand moving down to clutch desperately at the blonde's back. "_Please_."

"Patience, Rach," Quinn replied, eyes flicking upwards to meet the brunette's, the blonde's bottom lip pulled between her teeth.

"I've been patient for long enough, don't you think?"

"Mm, I guess so. Then again, maybe a few minutes longer won't kill you…"

"No, no, it _really _will." She felt Quinn's chuckle vibrate against her skin, then deft fingers slipped under her back and flipped at the clasp of her bra, her breasts spilling free as the blonde practically tore the garment from her shoulders.

"Sit up for a second," Quinn murmured, lips inches from her chest. She did as instructed, only grumbling a little, and her dress was quickly pulled over her head and deposited onto the floor, leaving her bare save for her underwear. "Much better."

Quinn's eyes ran the length of her, appraising, and she shivered under the heat of her gaze, before pulling the blonde back on-top of her, both releasing a groan at the delicious skin-to-skin contact. "God, I've missed you," she whispered into Quinn's ear as her hands mapped the skin of her back, finding her ass and squeezing, letting her nails dig in slightly.

"I missed you, too." Words were very much lost, then, as the blonde claimed her lips again, and their hands roamed each other's bodies, exploring freely. Quinn's lips moved down across her neck once more and dropped to her breasts, taking each nipple into her mouth in turn, tongue dancing wondrously across the flesh, moans falling freely from her lips.

"Can I take these off?" Quinn questioned, voice back at her ear as her hands hovered at the brunette's hips, thumbs smoothing across the skin. She could only nod against the blonde's shoulder, watching through hooded eyes as the blonde tugged her underwear over her legs, raising her lips a little to help.

"Yours too." Quinn's eyes met hers as she hooked her fingers into the side of her thong and let it fall, before climbing back ontop of her. Her thigh fell between the blonde's legs automatically, and when she leant down to press their lips together once more she _felt _how ready the blonde was, hot and slick against her.

Her hand moved of its own accord, smoothing across the blonde's stomach and dipping further down, hovering at the apex of Quinn's thighs, nerves taking over. Their mouths separated and their eyes locked, and the love mixed with swirling desire gave her the courage she needed to move again, two fingers sliding into wet het, her own eyes rolling back at the feeling as she heard Quinn's breath catch above her.

The blonde's hand slid over the brunette's stomach until she was cupping her sex, mimicking Rachel's movements and running her index finger over the length of her, both of them moaning at the feeling.

"You're amazing," Quinn breathed into the side of her neck, but the way she felt when the blonde's finger circle once around her clit, her hips jerked off the bed, seeking more contact, made her think that it was other way around.

She was content to let the blonde lead things, because she had absolutely no idea what she was doing. She hooked her leg around Quinn's hip to give her better access, and dragged her head down to meet her lips with her free hand, swallowing the moan that left swollen lips when she took the initiative and pressed one finger deep inside the blonde without warning.

"_Fuck_," she groaned into the blonde's mouth as she followed suit, pulling back and then thrusting back, thumb pressing lightly against her clit with the movement and making her hips buck into the blonde's hand, fingers tightening into her hair.

She was lost to sensation after that, barely able to concentrate enough to reciprocate what Quinn was doing to her, and it was an embarrassingly short amount of time before she felt herself tightening around the blonde's two fingers.

Her head fell back against the pillow and Quinn's lips moved to her ear, tugging lightly at the lobe with her teeth. "So sexy," the blonde murmured against her skin, groaning when Rachel curled her fingers. "So gorgeous," she nipped at the skin over the brunette's pulse point, her breath ghosting across the side of her neck.

"Q-Quinn, I… I need - " She was cut off by a searing kiss that stole the breath from her lungs, as the blonde thrusted deeper inside her than before, accompanied by a tight circle around her clit that had her seeing stars, her hips pressing off the mattress and into the blonde's hand, her own hand stilling within Quinn was she fell of the edge, her orgasm washing over her like a tidal wave, the blonde's name falling from her lips in a moan, almost like a prayer.

"God, you're amazing," she gasped when she'd come down from the high, positive that if she tried to stand her legs would be like jelly. Quinn pressed another kiss to her lips as she removed her hand from the brunette's sex, pulling back only to run her tongue over the digits, Rachel watching, transfixed. "And also very, very sexy."

"No, that's definitely you." Rachel remembered herself then, felt the blonde around her fingers, tight and hot and perfect. An idea forming, she flipped them over suddenly, taking her hand away and ignoring the pout that spread across the blonde's face.

"I want to try something."

"Okay?"

"But tell me if I do anything wrong."

"Oookay?" Confusion clouded hazel eyes, but Rachel kissed it away before moving her lips lower, spending a few minutes at the blonde's chest before moving further down. "Oh, fuck," she heard the blonde murmur above her as her mouth trailed over her stomach, and lower still until her body was between the blonde's thighs.

Hesitantly, she pressed kisses to the inside of Quinn's thighs, trying to slow her racing heart and calm her nerves, as one of the blonde's hands twisted in her hair, running absently through dark locks. "Stop worrying," the blonde whispered, and Rachel chanced a glance upwards to see that Quinn's head was resting against the pillow, her bottom lip back between her teeth.

"Easier said than done," she muttered, feeling the blonde's thighs quiver lightly as her breath brushed against them. Emboldened, she pressed closer, wrapping her arms around the blonde's thighs to keep her still and parting her folds, letting her tongue trace the length of her, just once.

"Shit, _Rach_." It was a desperate cry from the blonde above her, hips bucking upwards even as the brunette's hands pressed her down. "Keep doing that," Quinn panted, and Rachel allowed herself some gratification for not being awful at this before moving one of her hands off Quinn's hips and sliding two fingers inside her as she traced her tongue across her clit, sucking it gently into her mouth and letting her teeth graze across the tip lightly, curling her thrusting fingers in time with each stroke of her tongue.

She felt Quinn's walls tensing around her before long and sped up her movements, only slowing down when she heard her cry out as she spasmed around the brunette's fingers. Rachel moved her mouth away and kissed the blonde's thigh, only removing her fingers when the blonde had stopped quaking.

"You are far too good at that," Quinn murmured once she'd slid back up to kiss the blonde's lips, taste of her still on her tongue – a taste that she definitely wouldn't mind having again. She curled into Quinn's side, stretching one arm across her stomach and sighing in contentment.

"Mm, definitely worth the wait," she murmured into the side of the blonde's neck, feeling more relaxed than she had done in a long, _long _time.

"And we have this room for the whole night…"


	18. Chapter 18

Rachel woke up the following morning feeling utterly and completely content. A glance at the clock beside the bed told her that it was ten, and she stretched and rolled over to face the gorgeous (and still sleeping) Quinn Fabray.

The blonde was sprawled across the left side of the bed, one arm slung over the brunette's waist and the other hooked under the pillow her head was resting on. This was a rarity, for Rachel – she was never awake first, never had the chance to study Quinn like this. She was absolutely breath-taking, and she couldn't tear her eyes away.

"I can't be nearly fascinating enough for you to have been staring at me for so long," Quinn murmured a few seconds later, voice heavy from sleep. Her eyes flickered open to lock with the brunette's, smile spreading across her face.

"You definitely are," Rachel replied, letting one of her hands move to dance along the blonde's side, revelling in the feeling of soft skin under her fingertips.

"Can you pass me my phone?" The brunette merely reached for the phone instead of giving a response, wincing a little as the movement made muscles that hadn't been used for too long ache slightly – but it was definitely worth it. Quinn had worn her out in more ways than one last night, and apparently she could still feel the after-effects. They'd only tumbled off of each other in order to sleep about four hours ago, but she didn't feel tired.

She felt alive – more alive than she'd felt in months.

"I'm just going to call Santana because I have a million missed calls and texts from her because she's a lunatic and probably things we've been murdered." Rachel grinned, curling up against the blonde and tangling their legs together, head resting against her shoulder.

"_Fucking finally_," she heard Santana's voice down the phone, smile falling across her lips. "_Where the fuck are you?_"

"None of your business. But we're not dead, and we've not been kidnapped, so stop worrying and we'll see you later."

"_Wait, wait, wait. We're supposed to be having lunch with Mercedes and Sam, remember? Don't fucking leave me with them and Britt, I might accidentally kill him. And that might upset her._"

"You are so _dramatic_," Quinn groaned, but Rachel could hear the underlying affection in the blonde's tone.

"_Yeah, and you love me for it. Come on, Q, please?" _

"Fine," the blonde ground out after a few seconds of deliberation. "But you _owe _me." She hung up without waiting for the Latina's response, letting the phone drop onto the bed beside her and wrapping her arms around Rachel to bring the brunette ontop of her. "We should probably get ready," Quinn murmured against the skin of Rachel's neck as she trailed kisses across the skin, tongue running lazily over the marks she'd left the previous night.

The brunette hummed in response, body alive under the blonde's touch, and more than ready for more of what had happened last night. She arched into Quinn's touch when her hands splayed across the small of her back, pressing her closer.

"I have an idea," she managed to gasp out in-between moans as the blonde's hands moved up to cup her breasts. "Why don't we move things to the shower instead?"

"I knew there was a reason I chose you," Quinn whispered against the side of her neck, pressing one last kiss to her pulse point before rolling on-top of the brunette and hopping to the side, extended her hand out to the smaller woman, who took it with a soft smile.

The water warmed up quickly, but they were too busy kissing to really notice it was ready until minutes later, after Rachel had been pressed up against cold tile as Quinn's lips roamed over her body.

Heated kisses were being pressed to her inner thighs when the blonde pulled away with a teasing smile, yanking back the shower curtain and stepping under the hot spray of water, and leaving the sputtering brunette behind.

"Are you coming or not?"

"Apparently not!" The brunette huffed angrily, crossing her arms across her chest and refusing to move when she heard the blonde's chuckle echo in the small room.

"You can if you get in here with me," Quinn replied, not missing a beat as she turned around to that she was facing Rachel, leaning back against the shower wall and tilting her head, eyes running freely up and down the brunette's lithe body.

Rachel's eyes appraised the blonde's figure as Quinn was staring at her, admiring every curve, every muscle hidden beneath soft skin, tracing over the scars left over from the accident she'd had their senior year, only visible now in the right light.

She was perfection – walking, talking perfection, and she was hers. For life, if the blonde wanted it – and from the love she could see shining in the blonde's hazel eyes when their gazes locked once more, she knew that Quinn would want her, forever.

"I love you," Rachel blurted, mind and mouth not quite thinking as one, and she watched Quinn's expression change to complete and utter shock before it was illuminated by the biggest smile she'd ever seen grace that gorgeous face that she'd come to know so well.

The brunette moved forward without conscious thought, until she was stood at the edge of the shower, and Quinn's hands pulled her forward until she was under the water, the blonde's body pressed tight against her as sure hands moved around her back to hold her close.

When they kissed this time it was different than any other time, filled with such deep adoration and emotion that Rachel was sure that she'd never felt anything like it before. Her hands moved to cup the back of the blonde's head, holding her closer, not wanting the moment to end.

"I love you, too," Quinn breathed against her lips when they finally parted, still smiling, and Rachel felt an answering one spread across her face as she pecked the blonde's lips once more. "So, so much."

Their lips met once more but this time it was hungrier, both craving the other more than they could express with words, so they did it with their hands instead. Rachel's fingers, surer now than they had been before, moved with resolution down the blonde's body, slipping between her parted legs and sinking into wet heat, swallowing the blonde's breathy moan with a kiss and pressing her back hard against the tiled shower wall.

Quinn held her close, arms wrapped around the brunette's back, fingers sinking into her shoulder blades hard enough to leave a mark, but Rachel didn't care. It felt too amazing – to feel the blonde come undone around her fingers, to watch her face as she came, the way her own name fell from those perfect, addictive lips.

"_God_, you're amazing," the blonde murmured when she'd come down from her high, her hold on the brunette's back becoming more commanding as she spun them around, dropping to her knees not a second later, mouth resuming its burning path up her thigh until it reached her sex.

In one smooth movement the blonde had own of Rachel's legs thrown over her shoulder, and was holding the other with one hand to try and stop it shaking – and it was a good thing, too, because when she ran her tongue, experimentally, along the length of the brunette, Rachael's knee buckled and she would have fallen if not for Quinn's hands supporting her.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Quinn," she groaned as two fingers pressed surely inside her, the blonde's tongue flicking against her clit with every thrust, and it was an embarrassingly short time before she was tightening around the blonde's fingertips, crying out her name as one of her most powerful orgasms to date washed over her.

She could barely stand afterward, which just made Quinn extremely smug, but she didn't even care enough to chastise her. She didn't remember much else of the shower, and couldn't say how she got ready afterwards – and she was still very much on cloud nine when they took their seats at the table that Santana, Brittany, Mercedes and Sam were already sat at when they arrived at the diner they'd agreed on for lunch.

"Holy fucking shit," were the first words out of Santana's mouth as soon as she took one look at the pair of them, eyes lingering for a brief second on the wicked bitemark that Rachel had left on the side of the blonde's neck last night in an effort to keep quiet. "You _finally _had sex!"

"Santana," Quinn sighed in exasperation, as Brittany clapped her hands together in excitement, Mercedes tried not to laugh, and Sam looked between them with a raised eyebrow. "Don't."

"Don't what? Make a huge deal? Because you can bet your fucking ass that I'm going to. Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for this to happen? I'm going to throw you a 'congrats for finally getting some' party."

"Yay! Let's start planning!" Brittany called excitedly, and Quinn groaned loudly, letting her head fall against the tabletop with a loud thud. Rachel merely grinned, watching them with a soft smile, her hand resting on the blonde's thigh under the table.

"You two are _unbelievable_," Quinn muttered, head still on the table. "Can we please talk about something else? Anything else? Anything at all?"

"But that's no fun!" Santana exclaimed with a smirk. Rachel met her eyes across the table, grinning, and just shook her head slightly. The Latina sighed dramatically in response before raising both hands, palms up. "Alright, alright. I'll drop it. For now."

Conversation thankfully turned to topics other than her and Quinn's sex life, and Rachel appreciated the opportunity to catch up with Sam and Mercedes properly after how awkward things had ended up being yesterday. Santana seemed to have reigned in her jealously, thankfully, and overall it was a pleasant hour spent in a café in downtown LA, even if she would have really rather been ripping Quinn's clothes off back in their hotel room.

"You guys have to keep in touch," Mercedes said when they were leaving, the six of them stood outside on the street, four heading one way and two in the other.

"We will," Quinn promised, and Rachel could see on her face that the blonde had missed her old friend after they'd fallen out of contact, and made a vow that she'd get them back in regular contact if it made her girlfriend happy.

"See you soon!" Echoed around them as they departed, and Rachel slid her hand into Quinn's, leaning against her arm as they started back to Santana's and Brittany's apartment.

"Are you two going to be even more sickeningly sweet now that you've finally banged?" Santana asked, loudly, and Rachel laughed even as Quinn groaned once again in exasperation.

"Maybe," the brunette decided to answer, sparing the blonde after she'd left her to fend for herself earlier. "We know how much you _love _it, after all."

"Yeah, really not at all."

"Don't worry, Santana, you're secret's safe with me." She winked at the other brunette and grinned at her slightly stricken expression, feeling Quinn trying to hold back laughter at her side.

"So what do you guys want to do tonight?" Brittany piped up, breaking the brief silence. "It's your last night here; we have to do something special."

"We can take you out, Berry, show you LA like you showed us New York."

"We're not going to another gay bar!" Quinn exclaimed, but Santana's smirk told Rachel that that would be exactly where they'd be heading.

"What's the matter, Q, afraid that we'll run into another of your ex fuck buddies?"

"Santana!" The blonde gasped, turning suddenly and almost sending Rachel flying towards the pavement. "Uncalled for!"

"Well, is it not true?" The brunette's eyes sparkled with mirth in the weak afternoon sunlight, and Rachel would tell just how much Santana loved to wind up the blonde –and even she had to admit that it was pretty funny.

Well, when the topic wasn't regarding people who Quinn had slept with in the past, of course.

"That… I… Santana!"

"You already said that, Q, it's taking me back to that night we spent together." Quinn flushed a brilliant shade of red that had Santana practically doubling over in laughter, and Brittany along with her, and when the blonde turned panicked hazel eyes on her she put on her severest expression instead of the grin that she really wanted to.

"Quinn." The blonde blanched slightly, and Santana snickered from behind them.

"I'm sorry! You can't blame me for something that happened like, four years ago, I - "

"She's fucking with you, Q," Santana cut her off, shrugging when Rachel turned her gaze on her. "Oh come on, Berry, did you see her face? Even I'm not that cruel, she needed putting out of her misery. But good move. I like you."

"I'm glad someone does," Quinn muttered mutinously under her breath, as she began walking again. Rachel's hand pulled her to a gentle stop once more, tugging her back so that they were facing.

"I'm sorry," she murmured softly, worried that she shouldn't have played along with Santana, but there was a gentle smile on Quinn's face as she leant down to press a gentle kiss to the brunette's lips.

"Gross," Santana called out, and Quinn rolled her eyes as they parted, falling into step with Rachel on her right and the other couple on her left. "Seriously, though, the best places we know are gay bars. So, we're going to one – end of story, Q, suck it up."

x-x-x

"Do I look okay? I didn't exactly bring anything in preparation for a night out," Rachel called from behind where Quinn stood, in-front of the bathroom mirror and applying the last of her make-up. She turned to face her girlfriend, sucking in a breath as her eyes took in the form-fitting blue dress, lingering at her thighs and her chest.

"You most definitely look okay, Rach," she breathed, heart fluttering at the radiant smile that flashed across the brunette's face.

"I love you," Rachel reminded her from the doorway, and that time she knew it was herself that lit up with a radiant smile. It still didn't feel quite real, last night - she kept running the events through her mind, determined to remember their first time together until her dying breath.

"I love you too," she replied, knowing that she was practically beaming and not caring in the slightest.

"Yo, bitches." Santana stumbled into the bathroom with her hair dishevelled, her dress hitched up slightly at her hips – Quinn eyed her critically as she came to a stop beside Rachel, just inside the doorway. "Mind if we delay leaving for… half an hour?"

"Just so you can get laid? I don't think so."

"You can watch, if you want."

"Oh, my God, you are - "

"Amazing? Wonderful? The best, most fucking awesome thing in your life right now?" Santana cut in, grinning, and Quinn rolled her eyes skyward.

"Actually, Santana, I think that position is filled by me," Rachel murmured from beside the other brunette, slight smirk across her lips, a hint of a challenge in her eyes. "But you're welcome to have the title of second best."

"I am second best to no-one at anything, Berry."

"I think Quinn may have something to day about that after last night." The blonde sputtered at that, having just begun to start applying her eyeliner –she whirled back around to face her girlfriend and best friend, but neither were looking at her.

"Damn, Berry. You got game."

"A lot more than you."

"Don't get cocky, now."

"Oh, but that just makes things so much more fun." Quinn watched the exchange affectionately, loving the fact that two of the most important people in her life were getting along so well –especially considering the past all of them had.

"I'm gonna leave you two lovebirds alone, then. Have fun – but not too much – and I will see you in half an hour."

"Santana - " Quinn started, but the brunette was already half out the door, only pausing to throw back a quick response over her shoulder.

"You might not wanna leave your room anytime soon, by the way." Soon after the guestroom door was slammed shut there was a laugh and then a low moan that made Quinn wish she didn't have such good hearing.

"I'd put some music on my laptop, if I were you," the blonde warned the brunette, their eyes meeting in the mirror as Quinn continued to get ready. The soft sounds of show tunes soon drowned out whatever was happening in the other room, and when she walked back into their temporary bedroom she found Rachel sprawled across the bed, looking at her with eyes full of lust. "Please tell me that listening to them having sex hasn't turned you on."

"God, no," the brunette laughed, voice a tone lower than usual, and causing a slight shiver to rock the blonde's body. "But _you _do. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you all day. About your _hands _all over me, your mouth…"

"Jesus, Rach."

"Come here." Absolutely powerless to resist, she padded her way over to where the brunette lay, and was promptly grabbed and tugged onto the bed as soon as she was within grasp, her mouth claimed by hungry lips as searching hands ran down her back, nails digging into the back of her thighs, left bare by the short dress she was wearing.

"Rach, I - "

"Shut up and kiss me."

"Are you always this assertive?" The blonde murmured between peppering kisses down the slender length of the brunette's neck, tongue flicking over her pulse point lightly.

"Mm, that depends."

"On?"

"If you like it."

"I like it very much," she breathed into Rachel's ear, voice ragged, and then she was flipped onto her back, both of her hands pinned above her head in one smooth movement by one of the brunette's, as her other hand flattened against her stomach and dragged lower.

Their lips met again and she could taste the desire on the brunette's lips as their teeth clashed, tongues sliding against one another as wandering fingers slipped her underwear to one side, before two slid into her in one easy movement – a low groan left her lips at the unexpected feeling, and she hooked one leg around the brunette's waist, encouraging her forward.

"I love you," was whispered once again against her swollen lips; it still made Quinn smile, and she already knew that she would never tire of hearing it. Another finger was added to the two already inside her, and then began to move, slowly as first but then quicker, until she was unable to do anything other than lazily return the kisses pressed to her mouth, and clutch at the brunette's back when her hands were released, until she was sure she must be drawing blood, even through the material of her dress.

"Oh, _God_, Rach, stay _there_, yes," she managed to form words even when every forward movement of the brunette's fingers had her seeing stars – she was sure she'd never felt so good, not ever, and when her orgasm crashing over her her back arched, her toes curling against the mattress as an embarrassingly loud moan ripped its way from her throat, swallowed by the brunette's mouth as she kissed her senseless.

"You are definitely far too good at that," she breathed, afterwards, when her mind had cleared and she could form proper thoughts, and when her heartbeat wasn't so rapid that she could hear it thundering in her chest.

The brunette lay draped over her, breath brushing the side of her neck, one hand drawing lazy patterns on the skin of the blonde's arm.

"I'm glad – you wouldn't love me nearly as much if I was awful in bed, I'm sure."

"I'd still love you."

"Just not as much?" She laughed at that, her eyes tracing over the brunette's smiling face, wishing that they didn't have to go back to reality tomorrow, go back to only seeing each other for a few stolen moments each day.

"Are you losers ready ye – oh Jesus fucking Christ, learn to lock a door!" Santana interrupted the moment, bursting through the door and then standing with one hand covering her eyes – Quinn was well aware of the picture they painted, her flushed, her dress rising high on her thighs, but she'd walked in on Santana and Brittany enough to really not care.

"Uh, learn how to _knock_ on a door," she quipped back, squeezing the brunette curled against her one last time before they moved to stand (albeit Quinn on slightly shaky legs).

"I shouldn't have to knock in my own house!"

"Technically this is an apartment."

"I will fucking kill you, Q." Her eyes sparkled as they met Rachel's, and found her girlfriend trying determinedly not to laugh as the expression on Santana's face as she regarded the two of them. "Get yourselves ready, for fuck's sake."

It only took them five minutes before they were actually ready to leave, thirty-five minutes later than planned, but none of them really cared about that. The streets buzzed with late-night activity as they made the short walk to where she, Britt and Santana had spent a great number of evenings of the past two years.

The club wasn't really anything special, but it was close to their apartment, and it didn't play terrible music like pretty much every other place nearby. Her hand was clutched tightly in Rachel's as they waited in the short cue outside.

"So, when do we get to see you bitches again after tomorrow? Christmas? Or Hanukah? Whatever the fuck you celebrate?" Santana asked as they neared the door, her arms around Brittany's waist but her eyes looking towards the other couple.

"You can come to New York for them, if you want," Quinn supplied, because she had absolutely no idea what Rachel was doing and was happy to keep with the tradition of the Unholy Trinity sticking together for the holiday season.

"Uh…" The brunette beside her cut in, sounding slightly uncertain, and Quinn's eyes dropped to meet her girlfriend's, one eyebrow quirked upwards in curiosity. "About that."

"What?"

"I… may or may not have told my Dads that I'd come home for Hanukah, and I may or may not have also said that I'd bring you with me."

"Oh," was the only eloquent reply that Quinn could manage, and she shot a glare at Santana when she heard her snicker slightly, undoubtedly in reaction to the look on the blonde's face.

"You don't have to," Rachel gushed quickly, after taking a look at Quinn's expression for herself. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, no, it's okay."

"Q's not big on meeting the parents. She's never done it, you see." The blonde glared at Santana again, but the Latina merely shrugged. "What? It's true!" It was, but she didn't necessarily want Rachel knowing that.

"Seriously?" The brunette asked, eyes on Quinn's face. The blonde sighed and pulled Rachel a few strides away, out of earshot of the other two, figuring this was probably best as a private conversation – or as private as one could be when outside on an LA street and surrounded by other people.

"Yes, seriously. I've already told you I've only ever had two relationships – neither of them were ever serious enough for that. Not for me, anyway. And I hardly count high school relationships on the same scale."

"So you're… You're like a relationship baby."

"Thank you," she said flatly, though the quirk of her lips let the brunette know that she wasn't being serious. "For that assessment."

"Well you _are_! It's okay, though, seeing as I'm a sexual baby – and that sounded much better in my head than it did out loud." Quinn laughed at that, leaning down to press a quick kiss to the smaller woman's lips.

"Dork," she murmured, feeling Rachel's lips curve into a smile. "I'll come back to Lima with you," she continued, even though just the mere thought filled her with trepidation. But she was serious about this relationship, about staying with the brunette for as long as Rachel wanted to her – and part of that was going to have to be facing the Berry men and forcing them to accept that she loved their daughter.

Which was probably easier said (or thought), than done, but hey, she'd cross that bridge when she was forced over it.

"Really?" Rachel's eye's shone with happiness mixed with a spark of excitement there, too, that made the blonde smile.

"Yes, really."

"Yay!" Arms were thrown around her neck in a hug, and she wrapped her own around the brunette's tiny waist.

"I hate to interrupt the love fest," Santana called over to them, "but we're at the front of the queue."

"You always have to butt in," Quinn sighed, loudly, before following Santana and Brittany inside the club, tugging Rachel along at her side. Music was blaring and people were everywhere, and it was all the blonde could do to keep the other two in sight as they wandered over to the bar to get drinks.

Several minutes (and after Santana had leant so far over the bar that an almost obscene amount of cleavage was visible to the nearest bartender), they each had a shot in their hands.

"To… well, I don't fucking know, to having a good time." Santana raised the glass to her lips and downed it in one, the other three following suit. "We're going to go dance!" She called over the sound of the music as Brittany practically dragged her away.

"What happened to spending our last night here together!" Quinn shouted after them, but Santana merely gestured towards her girlfriend and shrugged, which the blonde could only interpret as 'what do you want me to do?', but she didn't really mind so much. She was happy enough to spend time with Rachel, even if that time was spent in a crowded, noisy club.

"Where are we going?" She asked, murmuring into the brunette's ear as Rachel pulled her away towards where the others had disappeared to.

"Dancing," came the reply, as the brunette pulled her through the crowd of writhing people on the dancefloor, until she found a space in the middle where she stopped and wound her arms around the blonde's neck.

"Since when do you dance?" She breathed against the diva's neck as they pressed closer together, hips starting to move in time with the music.

"Since it lets me get close to you." One of Rachel's legs slid smoothly between the blonde's, so that every sway of their hips had a toned thigh pressing against her centre. "You're hot. Veeeery very hot."

"Have you been drinking without me looking?" The blonde laughed, and the response was hands sliding down her back to grab her ass roughly and shove them closer together – a gasp left her lips, and she felt Rachel's smirk against the skin of neck, above her pounding pulse.

"Want to know something?" The brunette's head lifted from the blonde's neck and as their eyes met, Quinn nodded. "I've always had a fantasy," she paused, one hand dropping from Quinn's ass in order to rake up her thigh, almost making her knee buckle as it rose to just under the hem of her dress. "To fuck," the hand rose higher, a knuckle brushing across her underwear. "In public."

The last two words were a whisper against her lips before they were devoured in a kiss that left her breathless, unable to do little more than clutch at the brunette's hips in an effort to keep herself grounded.

"I need you." It was almost a breathy moan, into her ear, and her eyes fluttered closed, gripping her waist more tightly.

"Bathroom," she replied, and earned a pout when her hand caught the wrist of the hand that had wandered beneath her dress. "Wouldn't want to get kicked out for having sex on the dancefloor, would we?" She offered by way of explanation, and Rachel sighed, once, before whirling around and dragging the blonde away, so swiftly that she almost fell over.

The bathroom was thankfully empty, but when Quinn caught a look of outright desire on the brunette's face she doubted that Rachel would have cared even if there was, as she shoved the blonde into one of the empty stalls, taking hold of Quinn's waist as she pressed her backwards to shut the door, sliding the lock as their lips met.

"I think I like this side of you," Quinn murmured when Rachel's mouth moved down the column of her neck, kissing every inch of skin.

"Well, that's good then," Rachel replied moving back up to Quinn's lips as the blonde's hands moved to the brunette's thighs, running gently across the skin. "Because I doubt I'll be changing any time soon. You created a monster last night, you know."

"A sex crazed monster," she agreed, grinning at the look Rachel shot her before switching their positions and pressing the brunette against the stall door, letting one of her hands slide upwards to cup her through her underwear – Rachel let out a strangled moan against her mouth, and she kissed her harder as she teased the shorter woman, letting her fingers trail the length of her through the tiny lace she was wearing.

"S-stop teasing me," Rachel whined against her lips, and she smirked before complying, slipping the brunette's panties to one side, her fingers sliding easily through the wetness beneath.

"Fuck, Rach," she murmured into the side of the brunette's neck, as hips pressed into her hand, a wordless plea to do _something_, anything, and when she skidded along her clit she felt the brunette's legs shake slightly as her hips bucked upwards.

"I told you I needed you." It was a pant against her shoulder, and she didn't reply save to press a single finger into wet heat, and teeth closed against the skin of her shoulder to muffle a moan as the bathroom door opened and the sound of voices echoed around them – not that that was going to stop Quinn, and from the look that Rachel shot her when she didn't move straight away, it had better not be stopping her, either.

She glanced down at the bottom of the stall and realised that it'd be pretty damn easy for someone to see that two people were in there – but the brunette seemed to read her mind, because the next minute one leg was wrapped around her hips, shortly followed by the other. She pressed Rachel back harder against the door in an effort to keep her in the same place, the action pressing her deeper into the brunette.

With how closely they were pressed together moving her hand wasn't really much of an option, so instead she pressed her thumb lightly against the brunette's clit, before circling it gently, and then increasing in pace when she felt the teeth still digging into her shoulder bite down harder. It had her biting her own lip in order to not cry out herself, and nails dragged along the back of her dress as she felt the brunette start to clench around her finger, and she started to slow down, feeling the legs wrapped so tightly around her start to shake.

"You're amazing," was breathed against her lips when Rachel regained the capability to speak, and she pressed a quick kiss to the blonde's lips. "And sorry about your shoulder." She glanced at the skin, sheepishly, but Quinn didn't really care – it'd probably look bad tomorrow morning, but no skin was broken, and she'd had worse before.

"It's fine." The voices outside the stall had died down, so Rachel let her legs drop to the floor and they exited together, relieved when they saw that there was, in fact, no-one still around. Quinn was trying to figure out a way to get her dress strap to cover the bite marks and Rachel fixing her hair when the door opened and Santana and Brittany stumbled inside.

"Thereee you are! We've been looking for you everywhere. Should have known you'd be locked away somewhere going at it like rabbits." Quinn chose not to dignify that with an answer, because she knew from the knowing smirk on the Latina's face that it was useless to argue. "At least you're having fun."

"Uh-huh. Did you want to find us for any particular reason?" Quinn spun around so that she was leaning back against the marble sinks and facing the other two.

"I was just wondering what time you guys wanted to leave at," Santana shrugged, and Quinn's eyes narrowed at her best friend, as the brunette refused to meet her gaze.

"We've only been here for like, an hour," she said suspiciously.

"I _know_, but - "

"What Santana is _trying _to say," Brittany cut in, meeting Quinn's gaze with a smile. "Is that she'd rather be back at the apartment watching a movie or something, because she's going to miss you when you go back to New York tomorrow."

"Is that true?" The blonde asked, folding her arms across her chest, and watching Santana sigh heavily before raising her gaze to meet hers.

"Yes, fine, whatever, it's true. Can we just go, please?"

"You realise it was your idea to come here in first place, right?" Quinn commented as they were leaving a few minutes later, walking beside Santana, their girlfriend's on the other side; Rachel's hand securely in hers once again.

"Yes, but you were _supposed _to say no," Santana replied irritably, and Quinn shook her head wryly, trying not to laugh.

"You could have just said you wanted to spend time at the apartment together, you know."

"Shut the fuck up, Fabray."


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Okay, I finished this last night and wanted to post it as soon as possible. I'll also be uploading the (very short) epilogue at the same time - so I'll do a bigger note at the end of that.**

**But for now, enjoy this last (and biggest, just), chapter... **

* * *

_**Nearly one month later…**_

"Quinn? Where are you?" Rachel called as she walked through the door of the blonde's apartment, having finally started to use the key Quinn had given her, all those weeks ago.

"In here!" Came the reply, from the direction of the blonde's bedroom. She left her bag at the door and padded towards the voice, smiling as she watched Quinn packing up the last of her stuff into a suitcase lying on the bed. "Hey, you," the blonde smiled when she noticed the brunette in her doorway.

"Hey yourself. Almost done?" She nodded to the bed, and the clothes scattered around the open suitcase.

"Almost."

"Need help?"

"No, I got it." She wandered over to the window, glancing downwards at the streets, covered in a light scattering of snow that had fallen a couple of days ago – but thankfully it wasn't enough to disrupt their flight to Lima, that left in precisely three hours.

She was a little nervous about taking Quinn home to meet her dads as her girlfriend, but she was mainly excited. Spring Awakening had finished on Broadway a week ago, and she'd had little to do in the time since then and now except look forward to when Quinn had time off that they could spend it together.

She'd landed the leading role in Evita on her first audition, two weeks ago, but rehearsals didn't start until the last week of January, and she was glad to have some time to herself, for a change – it felt like so long since she hadn't had a show to prepare for, and though she was sure she'd miss performing every night (even though it was just for a short while). It had been over a year since Spring Awakening had truly started, and she could scarcely remember what free time felt like.

Not that she regretted it, in the slightest – especially in light of the phonecall she'd gotten from her agent a few days ago. The nominations for Tonys had been announced, and she had gotten one of them for best female performance – a fact that she hadn't been able to believe until he'd told her at least ten times.

That had been a night for celebration, and her perfect day had been completed by an amazing date with the woman of her dreams followed by the _best _sex that she'd ever had in her life.

So in short, it had been a good month, and she knew that the main reason for that was due to the gorgeous blonde behind her. She'd never imagined having such a wonderful relationship, but she'd stumbled into one, and it was still going swimmingly.

"Okay, ready," the blonde murmured into Rachel's ear as she wrapped her arms around the brunette's waist, pressing a light kiss to her cheek.

"Good, because the cab's probably going to drive off with my stuff if you took much longer," she teased in reply, spinning in Quinn's arms in order to kiss her lips, more chastely than she usually would have done, but it wouldn't really do to get carried away when they had a flight to catch.

"You know how long it takes me to get ready; you should have allowed extra time." The blonde pressed one last kiss to Rachel's lips before turning away and pulling her boots on, before hauling her suitcase off the bed. "Done."

"And only… five minutes late. I'm impressed."

"Shut up." The blonde replied as she was locking the door of her apartment behind them, but the smile on her face showed that she wasn't being serious. "So, did you have fun last night?"

"It was okay, I guess. Would have been better if you were there." Before they all dispersed, the Spring Awakening cast had gone out for one last night together. It had been fun, but her mind had kept straying back to Quinn, knowing that the blonde was sleeping alone in the bed that she'd quickly come to associate as 'theirs'.

She spent so much time at the blonde's apartment that she was half surprised that she hadn't asked her to move in already, but she supposed that even though it felt like a lot longer, in reality they'd only been together for about two months.

But even so.

Every other night she'd been finishing her show and heading straight down the three blocks to Quinn's apartment block and letting herself inside, and slipping into bed beside the gorgeous blonde. And then in the morning the blonde would try as hard as she possibly could not to wake the brunette when she got up, but rarely did – but Rachel didn't mind. It meant she got to see her girlfriend for a few sleepy moments before they were parted, yet again.

"Kurt's not going back yet?" The blonde's voice snapped her out of her reverie, and Rachel could safely say that she didn't remember getting into the cab or speeding away. Quinn just looked more amused than anything – she'd gotten used to her getting lost in her own head, it seemed.

"No, he's stuck in shows until Christmas Eve. I don't know if he's even going to bother coming back at all, Burt was saying he might fly out here to see him, instead. Not that Kurt knows about that yet."

"_You _managed to keep a surprise? I'm amazed." She pulled a face at the blonde beside her, squeezing the hand that was clutched tightly in her own on her lap lightly. "Looking forward to heading home?"

"Yeah. You're not nervous, are you?" She'd seen the signs of nerves in the blonde's behaviour over the last few days, but she hadn't mentioned it. She couldn't tell what was bothering Quinn more: the thought of meeting Rachel's dads as her official girlfriend, heading back to Lima at all, or the hidden thought that she might just happen to run into her parents.

Rachel was unsure if Russell even lived in Lima any more, but she knew that Judy did. She knew quite a lot about the Fabrays – she'd asked (with Quinn's permission) her dads to scope the family out so she knew what she and Quinn would be walking into, but the blonde didn't want to know any of it, which the brunette respected.

Quinn still knew some of it – like that although Russell and Judy had gotten back together after the blonde had headed off to Yale, they hadn't lasted very long after Quinn had been disowned for being honest about her sexuality.

The was the unspoken possibility that that might be because Judy didn't agree with it, but the blonde brought up a good point – that her mother hadn't bothered to try and contact her in over two years, even after she'd left Russell.

"I'm terrified," came the answer, after a delay. "What if they hate me?"

"They won't hate you, Quinn. They'll love you." Her dads had already heard a lot about their relationship over the phone, recently, after Rachel had eventually forgiven them for the whole Finn fiasco. She knew that they were only trying to cheer her up, had meant for the best, even if they'd gone about it in a terrible way.

But she was in a better place for it; felt better after finally confronting Finn about their relationship. And as an added bonus, she'd gotten to spend four days in LA with the three people that she was quickly coming to think of as her extended family.

Santana was so close to convincing Brittany to move to New York – she'd called Quinn at half three one morning in excitement, and Quinn had promptly hung up afterwards, mumbling about the ridiculous hour, while Rachel had tried and failed not to laugh beside her.

"But what if they don't? What if they remember all the horrible things I did in high school? What if - "

"Hey." She cut the blonde's tirade short by laying a single finger against her lips. "Calm down. They will love you, okay? And I've already explained things to them."

"But - "

"No! No buts." The blonde's eyebrows knitted together, and Rachel knew she was still worrying, so she sighed and leant closer, resting her head on Quinn's shoulder. "Seriously, babe, it'll be fine. Just relax."

"Relax? We're about to get on a plane, Rach, I am the furthest thing from relaxed right now." As if on cue, the cab slammed to a stop, then, squarely outside of the entrance to JFK. The blonde thanked the driver and handed the fare over after he'd helped the two of them haul their bags out from the trunk.

"It'll be okay," she tried to reassure the other woman as they walked to their check-in queue, but she knew it'd be no good. Quinn had been terrible on the flight back from LA, barely speaking and spending most of the time staring blankly out of the window. Thankfully, the brunette had already been warned about what the blonde was like on a plane by the woman herself as well as Santana, outside the airport.

"_She'll be freaking the fuck out the whole time, I am warning you now. She might try and put on a brave face in-front of you cause she likes you so much, but it'll only last about five seconds – just try and keep her calm, k? And I'll see you soon." _

She remembered Santana's words outside LAX fondly, because although she rarely showed it she knew that the brunette really cared about Quinn, and appreciated that the blonde had someone like that in her life.

She also appreciated the friend that she'd found in Santana, unexpectedly. She would have never thought, once upon a time, that they could ever be more than just civil to one another, but they talked on the phone almost as much she Santana and Quinn did, which had surprised all three of them.

It didn't take long before they'd checked in and were moving through to security, again pretty quickly considering the time of year. There were people everywhere as they milled around the shops on the other side, waiting for their gate to be called, as she kept trying to think of way to keep Quinn's mind off the thought of flying.

"Should I buy them something?" The blonde asked as she surveyed the row of alcohol she was stood in-front of in one of the shops, titling her head to one side as she looked.

"Uh, who?" Rachel asked as she came to stand beside her girlfriend, lopping her arm through the blonde's.

"Your _dads_, Rach, have you even been listening to me?"

"Of course?" She replied, guiltily, and Quinn knocked the brunette's hip lightly with her own. "You already put money towards what I bought them, so no, you don't need to."

"But I - "

"What did I say about buts?" She moved so that she was stood in-front of the blonde, eyeing her sternly, until hazel looked away in defeat.

"_Okay_."

"Uh, excuse me, are you Rachel Berry?" A timid voice cut short their exchange and Rachel glanced over Quinn's shoulder to see two teenage girls looking at them curiously, their parents stood a little to the side.

"Yes," she replied, brightly, taking a half-step back from the blonde and turning to face the family, tugging Quinn slightly so that she was behind her. "Can I help you?"

"I… I just wanted to say that I think you're amazing in Spring Awakening. If you don't win the Tony then the judges are crap."

"Angela!" Their mother chastised from behind the two girls with an apologetic look toward the couple. "Language."

"It's not even a swear word, Mom," Angela hissed back, under her breath, and Rachel bit her lip to stop a smile. "Could you sign something for us?"

"Of course I can. And thank you, for the support, I really appreciate it."

"Could you sign this?" The younger of the two girls spoke up for the first time, brandishing a newspaper that, Rachel saw with amusement, happened to be the one that Quinn worked for – and the page that it was opened on, incidentally, was the double page spread that the blonde's boss had asked her to do upon Rachel's Tony nomination. It was a second review and an interview, and both women had been more than happy to do it.

"Sure," she replied, grinning, and she heard Quinn smother a laugh behind her. The other daughter found something she wanted signed and the brunette scrawled her signature across that page too, completing it with her usual star underneath.

"Could we have a picture, too?"

"Course, do you have a camera?" The younger of the two glanced towards their parents, and their mom fished a camera out of one of the bags.

"I can't work this," she called as both girls moved forwards. Quinn stepped out from behind the brunette and held out a hand.

"Here, let me try." She watched the blonde's face as she figured out which button to press, and draped her arms around the two girls for the photo - her smile was for Quinn, though. She was recognised often, but for now that was perfectly fine with her, because she had a feeling that within too long she would be wishing for peace and quiet like she could get now. Todd was already making plans with her, after the Tonys and Evita finished, for her to complete her EGOT as soon as possible – something she was eager to do, obviously, but all in good time. For now, she was happy with where she was at in life.

"Thank you!" Both girls chorused as the blonde took the photo and handed the camera to them for them to check it was okay, and Rachel watched the smiles on their faces as they examined it closely, amazed that she could have such an effect on someone's happiness like that.

_Flight 4065, to Ohio, will be boarding from gate 24 in 10 minutes. _

"Rach, that's us," the blonde called after the announcement echoed across the intercom, and the brunette nodded absently.

"It seems I have to go, but was nice to meet you both," she said to the two girls with another quick smile. Two quick hugs later and a 'thank you' from the parents her hand was back linked with Quinn's (slightly shaking) hand, and they were making their way slowly towards where their gate was located.

The advantage of being on Broadway and having a girlfriend who made even more money writing for a prestigious newspaper was that they easily had enough to spend on first class tickets, and they were among the first to board.

It was only a short flight to Ohio, which she kept reminding Quinn, who'd claimed the window seat and was staring out of it, face drawn and foot tapping absently at the floor.

"Babe, we're not moving yet, _relax_."

"I _can't_," came to whispered reply, and the brunette shuffled closer so that she was pressed against the armrest, her head once more on the blonde's shoulder. She threw her coat absently over their legs and then slid her hand across to rest on Quinn's upper thigh, feeling the muscles underneath tremble at the unexpected contact.

"Yes you can," she murmured into the blonde's ear, kissing her neck once, softly, and digging her nails gently into the denim beneath her fingertips.

"You should really stop that unless you want me to jump you as soon as we get back to your place, and somehow I think your dads might disapprove of that." There was a hint of the blonde's easy smile back on those familiar lips, so she complied and moved back, taking Quinn's hand in hers instead.

The flight was short, and relatively uneventful. The blonde was slightly more talkative this time, even though Rachel could feel how taut she was beside her, and heard the loud sigh of relief when they touched down safely in Ohio.

It was snowy there, too, but again, not enough to cause much disruption. They collected their bags without incident, and then she had to practically force Quinn through to the exit to meet her dads.

She spotted them straight away, leaning towards the back of where everyone else was waiting, and guided her reluctant girlfriend over to them. They pulled her into a hug as soon as she got to them, at the same time, and leaving Quinn standing a few steps behind.

"Dad, Daddy," Rachel started when they both released her. "This is Quinn." She gave the blonde a shove in the back to force her forward.

"It's very nice to meet you, sir. Sirs." Rachel bit her lip, fighting a smile, because she had never seen the blonde look so terrified.

"So, Quinn – what are you intentions with our daughter?" Leroy crossed his arms as she glared down towards the blonde, who's mouth opened and closed a few times without any sound coming out.

"Oh, Leroy, stop it, you're scaring the poor girl. It's nice to meet you, Quinn. We've heard a lot about you." Hiram stepped forward with an extended hand, which the blonde shook. Leroy dropped his stern expression and swapped it for a smile as she stepped forward and embraced the brunette's girlfriend – Rachel caught one look at the blonde's face before she was encased in Leroy's arms and couldn't stop a slight laugh escaping her.

"So, Rachel, what have you brought us?" Hiram asked as they started towards the car, wrapping one arm around the brunette's shoulders. "If you haven't come bearing presents then you can't come in the house, you know the rules."

"You can have your presents in due time."

"As long as you've got them then that's quite alright." They reached the car and he paused to open the trunk and help both women lift their stuff in. "Leroy doesn't do any manual labour," Hiram commented with a nod towards his husband as he caught Quinn's eye with a wink. "So don't ever ask him to do anything of the sort for you."

"I will keep that in mind," Quinn replied with a laugh that only came off as half nervous as she and Rachel piled into the backseat. The blonde kept her hands to herself until Rachel reached out and seized the arm closest to her, winding their fingers together.

"So, Quinn," Leroy began as she pulled out of the space and moved into the line of steady traffic leading to the parking lot exit. "How's work? New York Times, right?"

"Uh, yeah. It's going good. They actually trust me to write things of my own now, which is good, I guess."

"We read your article about Rach last week, you're talented."

"Thank you." A light flush covered the blonde's cheeks, and the brunette smiled slightly, knowing that the blonde had a few moments of self-doubt where she thought that she wasn't good enough for the position she had.

"No need to thank me for telling the truth. Do you girls have anything planned whilst you're here?"

"Not at the minute, I don't think. We might do in a couple of days though, if Santana and Brittany end up coming home," Rachel answered him, catching Quinn's eye and offering her a soft smile, trying to tell her that she could stop stressing out and that everything was fine.

Santana and Britt had been toying with the idea of heading back to Lima for the holidays, but hadn't made a definitive decision yet. Quinn seemed pretty confident that they would, though.

"I trust," Leroy called as the car pulled up in-front of the Berry household. "That you two can be trusted to sleep in the same room together without anything unsavoury occurring."

"Daddy!" Rachel called as Quinn looked mortified and Hiram starting unloading the car in-between fits of laughter. "I'm twenty-four years old." Her birthday had come and gone, a quiet affair spent with Kurt and Quinn in her favourite restaurant. The blonde had gotten her a beautiful necklace with a golden star hanging from it, that she had taken to wearing every day.

"And yet you're still my little girl. I can trust you, can't I, Quinn?" He turned to the blonde, stern expression on his face, as he paused in unlocking the door.

"Absolutely, sir."

"You don't have to be so formal, Quinn, honestly," Leroy's façade dropped as he beckoned the blonde laden with bags, over the threshold and into the house. "I'm only messing with you."

"Can I hear… barking?" Rachel asked as she passed through the front door, pausing in the hallway beside her girlfriend and cocking her head to one side, towards where the noise was coming from – the kitchen.

"Ah, yes, I forgot we hadn't told you about that. You father," Leroy shot a glanre towards Hiram over both their heads. "Brought a dog home."

"A dog? Like, a literal, actual dog?" She'd never been allowed a pet when she was growing up, no matter how much she'd pestered both of her dads.

"Yes. It's a little beastie, if you ask me, but he's rather cute so I suppose we'll keep him. Put your stuff away and then you can meet him." The brunette practically bounded up the stairs, leaving a bewildered Quinn behind.

"I can safely say that is the fastest I have ever seen her move," Rachel heard a bemused Quinn say behind her, but she was unable to catch whatever her dads said in reply. The blonde herself appeared a few moments later, dragging a suitcase in each hand.

"Thanks, you know, for helping with the luggage," the blonde said dryly as she dropped the cases to the floor.

"But there's a puppy waiting, Quinn!"

"He's not a puppy, he's eighteen months old." Hiram appeared over Quinn's shoulder holding the final bag. "I'll leave you two to put your stuff away."

Excitement or no, the brunette still paused in her unpacking to press a quick kiss to the blonde's lips. "I love you. And they love you already, I can tell."

"If you say so," the blonde murmured back, hands running lightly over the brunette's back. "Come on, let's get this stuff away before you explode."

"You're the best." She kissed Quinn's lips one last time before hurriedly emptying cases, mixing up hers and Quinn's stuff but not really caring all that much. When they were done they shoved the empty bags into the guest room and the brunette practically dragged the blonde back down the stairs.

Both her dads were sat in the living room on one of the two seater couches, and curled up on the free space between them was a tiny black and white terrier, gazing up at Rachel and Quinn and thumping its tail as they walked into the room.

"This is Eddie," Leroy supplied as she and Quinn perched on the other sofa, and the dog leapt neatly from where he was sat and clambered up in-between them, sniffing curiously with his tail wagging so fast that it was almost a blur.

"He's adorable," Rachel cooed when he curled up in her lap, her hand rubbing across his back affectionately.

"Well, Quinn, looks like you've already been replaced." Hiram was grinning as he looked across at them, and she glanced up to see Quinn smiling right back.

"It seems so – if that was your plan, I admire it."

"You and I are going to get along swimmingly, I can see it already."

x-x-x

The next few days were a blur of activities, as Quinn tried to find her place within the Berry family. It was surprisingly easy – despite her and Rachel's rocky start, all those years ago, both of her dads had welcomed the blonde with open arms, something that she appreciated endlessly. It made her feel like she was a part of a family unit for the first time in a long time, and she could see how happy Rachel was that everyone was getting along.

Hanukkah had been a different, and welcome, experience to what she was used to, but she'd been informed by Rachel that the way they celebrated wasn't exactly traditional, mainly due to the fact that she was no longer home for the whole holiday.

But it had been fun, and she'd loved the presents to brunette had gotten her – a beautiful silver bracelet and a limited first edition of one of her favourite books. Even her dads had chipped in, buying the pair of them matching reindeer sweaters that had been meant as a joke, but that they had still worn for the entire day.

"Quinn?" Rachel's voice called upstairs, carrying through to where the blonde was just finishing getting dressed after her morning shower. "Are you still alive?"

"Yes," she replied as she descended the staircase, making a face at the brunette waiting at the bottom – everyone else in the house was an early riser, even Rachel was up before the blonde now, and it was a running joke that she always seemed to be the last one to get up.

"Dad made pancakes." Rachel greeted her with a brief kiss to her cheek before tugging her into the kitchen.

"We wouldn't let her eat until you were here," Leroy spoke from where he was sat opposite them at the table, reading that morning's newspaper. "So really, she's more interested in food than in you."

"You know, that really doesn't surprise me," Quinn replied in-between mouthfuls of blueberry pancakes, and received a kick from the brunette under the table. "Ow!"

"That's what you get for insulting me."

"Domestic abuse? Because that's totally fair." The blonde reached for the glass of water beside her plate and caught a glimpse of Leroy's face as he watched the banter between them, recognising the look there – it was the same one she wore when she saw Santana and Rachel getting along so well.

"Who wants to volunteer to take the little rascal for a walk?" Hiram asked when they were finished and Quinn was washing up the dishes (after the routine argument of 'no, you're the _guest_' that she always won), nodding towards Eddie, who sat in the doorway with his lead in his mouth, looking at each of them in turn hopefully.

"I'll take him," Quinn supplied, drying her hands and moving over to where he sat.

"You sure?" Leroy called, still sat at the table, but the blonde merely nodded.

"Yeah, yeah. We can do some bonding time and you three can all discuss me with no chance of me overhearing," she grinned. Rachel hadn't had much time alone with her dads, and Quinn figured it was about time she had some.

"Don't get lost!" Hiram shouted from the other room, as Quinn was clipping the lead to the dog's collar. She had no idea what breed he was but he was cute, with black and white patches and wiry fur.

"I will try my hardest not to." She kissed Rachel lightly on the lips before grabbing some treats and Eddie's favourite tennis ball before pulling on her coat and gloves and heading out the front door.

It was almost bitterly cold, but she didn't mind so much. Eddie walked pretty damn fast, so she'd keep warm. "This way, buddy," she called as they turned out of the drive, heading towards a park that she'd used to spend some time in when she'd been younger.

It was weird, being back in Lima after so long, but it wasn't as bad as she'd thought it would be. Then again, she hadn't really left the house much, unless she absolutely had to, so that was probably why.

She let Eddie off the lead to roam free when they reached the park, and kept one eye on him as he shot off through the snow after his ball. It was pretty quiet, but then she supposed it would be at this time.

She came to a stop at the swings, waiting on one of them for Eddie to sprint back with his ball, and throwing it from there, swinging lightly in the breeze. Someone else was walking their dog a little while away, a golden lab that reminded her of her old dog, Ruby – sometimes she'd missed her more than her parents during her time away at Yale.

The lab trotted towards her as Eddie came back to her, and when they stopped a few metres away from her she frowned – because that dog definitely looked like Ruby. She stood up and walked towards the two dogs – both turned to sniff at her legs, tails wagging.

"Rubes?" She questioned as she knelt down in the snow, and Eddie clambered up on her lap whilst the lab sniffed curiously at her face.

"Q-Quinn?" The uncertain voice came from behind her, but she knew who it belonged to. Cursing her luck, she rose slowly and turned around, trying to keep her expression blank as she met the eyes of the one and only Judy Fabray. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, Mom," the blonde sighed, rubbing at one of her arms absently, just for something to do. "It's me." She was nearly knocked off of her feet by the unexpected hug that followed, and awkwardly returned it.

"Quinnie! What are you doing here?" Her mom asked when they parted, but her hands still rested lightly on Quinn's upper arms.

"I'm, uh, visiting."

"Visiting who?" She bit her lip, wondering if she should say the whole truth, but then she figured she may as well see if her mother had actually changed in the two and a half years since they'd last seen each other.

"My girlfriend's family." She watched Judy's face carefully as she spoke, waiting for a bad reaction, but she didn't get one – in fact, she seemed pretty unfazed.

"Who's your girlfriend? It's not Santana, is it? Because she and Brittany seemed so happy together." Well it was safe to say that that had been the last response she would have ever expected, but then again, maybe this was all just a really vivid dream.

"No, Mom, not Santana. She and Britt are still together."

"Who, then?"

"Why do you even care?" It came out slightly harsher than she'd intended, and she saw Judy flinch.

"Quinn, I… I know I've acted awfully towards you, and I understand if you never want to forgive me, but… I have changed since…"

"Since you threw me out on my ass because for the first time in my life I was actually honest with you?"

"Yes, since then. I'm not proud of that, Quinn. Of any of that. That – it was your father's influence, and I deeply regret that I ever listened to that oaf of a man. My biggest mistake was giving him another chance."

"It wasn't marrying him in the first place?"

"No, because then I wouldn't have ever had had you or your sister." Quinn hadn't spoken to Frannie since that day, either – she'd tried, but her big sis hadn't ever picked up the phone whenever she called, and eventually she'd stopped trying. True, they hadn't been close since Quinn was about eleven, but it still stung all the same.

"If it was such a mistake, then why… why didn't you come after me? Why did you just let me think that you thought that I was worthless?" Her voice cracked, just a little, and her hands curled into fists, angry with herself for losing control of her emotions.

"Oh, Quinn, sweetheart, I never meant to hurt you. I thought… I thought you wouldn't _want _me to come after you, that I'd caused you too much strife already. And then, as the months wore on and I started to regret that decision, I thought it was too late."

She didn't know what to say to that, because all she really wanted to do was cry – the day that she'd been kicked out of her home had been one of the worst in her life, even though she'd never really been all that close with her family.

"Quinn, I appreciate if you never want to see me again, but… I'd love it if you could ever find it in yourself to give me another chance. And I'd love even more to meet your girlfriend."

"I'll… I'll ask when I get back. Maybe you could come around for food on New Year's Day?" She was slightly hesitant to extend an invitation, but she could see the sincerity on Judy's face, could tell that she meant what she was saying – for now, at least.

"That would be nice." She could see the hope starting to bloom in Judy's dark eyes, and she wondered if she got lonely in the holidays, seeing as Frannie had rarely visited years ago, and probably did less so now, and now that she was no longer with Russell.

"I'll let you know," she promised, beginning to grow cold after standing still for so long, and Judy nodded, unable to resist giving her daughter one last hug.

"I hope to see you soon, Quinn."

"Yeah, yeah. Me too." She whistled to Eddie and turned to leave, giving Ruby one last past on the head before she left. Eddie ran past her, happy to frolic in the banks of snow that had built up over the last few days, and leaving her free to think.

x-x-x

"Rachel? Are you ready?" Quinn popped her head around the door of the brunette's bedroom, catching her gaze in the reflection of the huge mirror that adjourned one wall. Her girlfriend was sat in-front of it, putting the finishing touches on her make-up.

"Nearly, just give me five minutes." The blonde stepped into the room and shut the door behind her, eyes trained on the woman before her. It was New Year's Day, and she spent the night before with the brunette and her dads downstairs, listening to them regale her with stories from the brunette's youth, and playing board games until the early hours of the morning, when they had finally called it quits and headed to bed.

"You're pretty." Rachel's voice cut through her thoughts, and Quinn's attention refocused to see the brunette was stood directly in-front of her now – she leant down to press her lips to the shorter woman's, hands settling on Rachel's hips and pulling her closer.

"One thing I won't miss when we fly back next week," she murmured against soft lips when they parted, as nimble fingers ran teasingly up and down her thigh were it was left bare by the red dress she was wearing. "Is the not having to be quiet during any nightly activities."

"Me too." Rachel pecked at her lips once before stepping back, ignoring the blonde's pout. "But no getting carried away. We have to be hostesses."

"Technically," Quinn pointed out as she followed the brunette back down the stairs. "_You _have to play hostess, but as this isn't my house…"

"Don't tell me you're already trying to try and get out of playing your part this afternoon, Quinn!" Leroy boomed when he caught the last of their conversation as they entered the kitchen. "You don't get out of things that easily in this house. You two can go and set the table downstairs."

The blonde nodded meekly, and followed Rachel down into the cellar, where a large dining room table had mysteriously appeared that morning, big enough to fit everyone who was coming for dinner that afternoon.

They set nine places and then headed back upstairs to await further instructions, but the ringing of the doorbell cut things short, and Quinn skipped to the door, having been informed that that was her job for now.

"Hey!" It was Kurt, and he pulled her into a hug as soon as the door was open, big grin on his face. His dad stood a little ways behind him, a bottle of wine held in either hand.

"Hey, Kurt. It feels like I haven't seen you for ages. Your last few shows before the holidays go okay?"

"Yeah, great."

"And how's Josh?" Her eyes twinkled at his blush – the two of them had snuck out on a first date when she and Rachel had been in LA, and the brunette had flipped out when she'd found out, demanding to know every single detail of that date, and any further ones to come.

"He's good." She was happy for Kurt – she'd heard from Rachel what had happened with Blaine, and was glad that he was finally trying at something with someone else. Plus, from what she'd seen of Josh, he seemed like a great guy.

"Come in, anyway, you guys are probably freezing. And hi, Burt, how are you?"

"Good thanks, Quinn. Do you want to take these and put them somewhere?" She took the wine off him as they stepped over the threshold, and took them into the kitchen while they were taking off their coats. There was a knock on the door almost straight away, and the blonde hurried to open it.

"Hey, Mom," she murmured when she'd pulled it open. "Come on in." Rachel (and her dads), had been sceptical about the blonde inviting Judy today, but Quinn had been sure that it was right thing to do.

She guided Judy into the kitchen, where the three parents were stood chatting – she had no idea where Rachel and Kurt had gone.

"They're exchanging presents," Hiram explained, after seeing the slight look of panic on the blonde's face at the disappearance of her girlfriend. "You must be Judy. I'm Hiram, this is my husband Leroy."

"It's nice to meet you." Judy looked nervous, and Quinn supposed that was fair – she was, after all, in a room full of people who she didn't know. "You have a lovely home."

"Thank you."

"And I wanted to thank you… For looking after Quinn this holiday. When I… couldn't."

"That's quite alright." Leroy spoke for the first time, weighing up the blonde's mother from across the kitchen.

"Quinn, look what Kurt got - oh." Rachel skidded to a halt as she came back into the kitchen, clutching what looked like a DVD in her hands.

"Rach, my mom. Mom, this is Rachel." The brunette recovered from her initial shock and took two sure steps across the kitchen until she was at the blonde's side.

"Nice to meet you, Judy."

"And you, too. I've heard a lot about you." Rachel's hand sought out the blonde's, squeezing it reassuringly.

"What did Kurt get you?" Quinn broke the brief silence that fell over the room, turning to face the brunette, who remembered her earlier excitement and practically beamed and thrust the DVD towards her. "Funny Girl? Don't you already have thi – ohhh, I see."

The front of the case was covered by writing – she didn't read the text but she saw the signature at the end.

"How did you get Barbara Streisand to sign this?" The blonde asked over Rachel's head, directing the question towards Kurt, who'd appeared with Rachel but had been hanging back in the doorway.

"She knows the director for Wicked and dropped by last week."

"And that's not even the _best _part!" Rachel cut in, practically vibrating with excitement beside the blonde. "She's coming back to New York, and when she does I get to _meet _her!"

"That's awesome, Rach," the blonde smiled, the happiness rolling off of Rachel contagious.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get you something quite as good as that, Quinn, but I got you this." Kurt appeared over her shoulder with a small present in his hands. "Here. And thanks for the shirt."

"Kurt, you shouldn't have," she murmured, but she took it anyway because she knew he'd argue. She'd insisted on buying him something because she half felt like she'd stolen his roommate out from under him considering how much time Rachel spent at her place - Rachel had helped pick out a shirt that he'd like, to go with what she herself had bought him. "Thank you."

Inside was a scarf, exactly the type that she'd wear, a gorgeous mix of blues and purples. She pulled him into a hug, and the door chimed again as they parted. She wandered back out of the kitchen to come face-to-face with Santana.

"Just let yourself in, then," she laughed as Brittany moved past her girlfriend in order to hug the other blonde.

"Well, you were taking a fucking age, Fabray. Now, where's the food?" She rolled her eyes, leading the pair of them back into the kitchen and taking her place next to Rachel now that everyone was here, accepting the glass of wine the brunette handed her and wrapping her free arm around Rachel's waist, tugging her so that her back was pressed against the blonde's front.

It had been long enough since some of them had seen each other that the conversation flowed freely, and the blonde was content to just sit back and listen, noticing that her mom was holding her own with the other three parents present, and seemed to be enjoying herself.

Kurt and Santana were getting along surprisingly well, and she was just grateful that her best friend wasn't making inappropriate comments about her sex life with both her mom and Rachel's dads present – but then again, that might just become an issue after a few more glasses of wine.

She'd stepped outside the room grab a jacket because she was cold, when she heard a noise behind her – she turned to see Judy in the doorway.

"You look happy."

"I am, Mom. Really happy." She pulled on one of her favourite cardigans and straightened up, turning to face the other woman.

"I'm glad. And Rachel seems like a great girl. You're serious about her?"

"I'm going to marry her." She said it with conviction, because she knew it was true – she was in it for life, and she knew the brunette was, too. She'd asked the brunette to move in with her two days ago, and knew one of the reasons she'd disappeared with Kurt was to talk to him about it before she agreed to anything, but she knew it was just a matter of time before they did.

"I'd like… When you do, Quinn, if it's alright with both of you, I'd like to be there."

"Really?"

"Really." She felt her eyes fill with tears, which was stupid, but she didn't really care – she was happy, happier than she would have ever thought possible. She was the one who hugged Judy this time.

"Thank you," she murmured, genuine smile across her face as she stepped back, seeing the expression mirrored on Judy's face. She noticed movement from behind her and saw Kurt hovering just out of earshot. "Uh, do you mind giving us a sec?" She asked her mom, who nodded and left with one last squeeze to the blonde's hand.

"I, uh, just wanted to say that I told her that if she thinks I mind her moving out then she's an idiot," Kurt said as she stepped forward, meeting the blonde in the doorway to the room.

"I _told _her you'd say that," Quinn laughed. "Thank you, though. For not thinking it's a terrible idea."

"How could I? You're perfect together."

"You didn't think so at first," she pointed out, remembering that first night the three of them had had together, on that fateful night that she'd first talked to Rachel in so long.

"Okay, true, but I had my reasons. And I can see that you're crazy about each other. Just don't fuck it up."

"You have been spending far too much time with Santana, my friend." She clapped him on the back as she moved past him and back into the kitchen, but was waylaid by a hand grabbing her arm and dragging her backwards into the empty cloakroom.

"Yes, I will move in with you," Rachel breathed against her lips before kissing her, hungrily, forceful enough to nearly send her toppling over backwards. The door was ripped open before the blonde could reply, and when they hastily parted it was only to reveal a smirking Santana.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here. Still going at it at every opportunity, I see."

"Is there any particular reason you're interrupting us?" The blonde asked, moving her hands up so they were no longer groping the brunette's ass.

"Yeah, food's ready and I figured it was better me than anyone else, seeing as I've already seen one of you naked."

"I hate you," Quinn groaned as Rachel detached herself from the blonde, running a hand through her hair absently.

"You fucking love me, Q, don't lie. Now, come on. I'm _hungry_." She followed Santana down into the cellar, her hand twined with Rachel's, and she took in the sight of the table below, filled people that she loved.

"You coming?" She didn't realised that she'd stopped until Rachel spoke, tugging her hand lightly from the step below.

"Of course."


	20. Epilogue

_**Epilogue: **__**Five years later…**_

"Q! Where the fuck are you? You're wife's fucking crazy!" Santana's voice echoed through Quinn and Rachel's apartment, and Rachel huffed at the Latina in annoyance.

"I'm right here, you know."

"Yeah, how could I forget," Santana muttered darkly under her breath, but the brunette still heard her. Quinn appeared from their bedroom, dressed in sweats and a tight fighting tank top, her go-to outfit whenever she got home from work.

"What's up?" The blonde asked as she crossed the room to Rachel's side, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek as her eyes sought Santana's.

"She's crazy, is what's up."

"It's not my _fault_!" Rachel cried, feeling tears gather behind her eyes. "It's the stupid pregnancy hormones!"

"Oh, shit, I made her cry. Q, do something. _Do something_!" Rachel wiped hastily at the tears before they fell, glaring down at her protruding stomach.

"You'd better appreciate what I'm doing for you," she muttered, but then she felt a kick from underneath where her hand rested and smiled.

She was due any day now, which was why Quinn had sent her to stay with Santana for the day while she was called into an emergency at work. The blonde was now assistant manager at the New York Times, having clawed her way up the ranks over the last few years, a fact that Rachel was insanely proud of.

She had demanded to be the first one to carry their children partly because of the blonde's career - she'd only just been promoted when they were thinking about it, but that wasn't to say that she hadn't wanted to in the first place. It had just cemented things for them.

She herself had had the fairly successful career so far. She'd won the Tony for Spring Awakening, and had earned her second the following year for her performance in Evita. Six months ago she'd won an Oscar in her third film, an independent project that Todd had somehow discovered and pushed her towards. She was currently in the middle of trying to put together songs for an album, with the help of an old friend – Mercedes Jones, who had already won three Grammys herself over the years.

"I'm leaving before she starts crying again," Santana announced, already half out of the door. "I'll see you bitches whenever the little bastard is born."

"What was the big emergency?" Rachel asked when Santana had left, curling up on the couch with her back against Quinn's front, the blonde's legs on either side of her.

"Ugh, just some idiot intern who Rob trusted to print copies and who managed to fuck it all up. We got it fixed though, so it's all good. What about you, you had a good day? Santana didn't irritate you too much, did she?"

"No, she was fine. I think _I _was the irritating one, but I'm sure she'll get over it."

"Mhmm." Santana and Brittany half finally moved to New York about four years ago, and when two apartments had become available opposite each other two years later, they'd moved into them. It was only a few blocks down from where she and Quinn had used to live – Kurt and Josh had that apartment now.

The two of them had been together pretty much since she and Quinn had, and they'd even gotten engaged at the same time. Quinn and Kurt had plotted for weeks beforehand, Rachel had found out afterwards, and they'd finally done it after a double date, when they'd been back at her and Quinn's apartment.

She'd looked away for one second and then Quinn was down on one knee in-front of her, holding out the most gorgeous ring, and she'd glanced over to see Kurt doing the same, and had said yes without a second thought.

A year later they were married (Kurt and Josh waited another six months – otherwise the planning would have driven the four of them insane). Quinn's mother, true to her word, had been there to walk the blonde down the aisle, and give her away to the brunette.

Santana and Brittany had been bridesmaids; Kurt and Josh the groomsmen, at the ceremony, and afterwards they'd spent a blissful and well deserved three weeks in Australia.

And now here they were, expecting their first child. Rachel was nervous but excited at the same time – they didn't know the sex, and the nursery was painted a neutral white and red.

"Where are you going?" Quinn murmured into the back of her neck when she shifted, edging towards the end of the couch.

"I need to pee."

"Let me help." The blonde sprang to her feet without waiting for a response, pulling the brunette to her feet and kissing her soundly. She was distracted by the blonde's lips when she felt a slight pain from her stomach, and then – dampness, down the inside of her legs. She pulled away from the blonde's eager mouth and glanced downwards, at the growing wet patch lining the inside of her grey maternity pants.

"Was that - was that what I think it was?"

"My water just broke."

* * *

**A/N:**

**Well, that's it! The end of journey that started with a vague idea last June and turned into a massively long story when I decided to develop it back in October. **

**I can't thank you enough for the support for this story, for all the reviews and the follows and the favorites - I appreciate it so, so much. **

**I do have to say though, that I don't think I'll be writing again for the Faberry fandom at any point in the near future - the way the show's gone this season has kind of ruined Rachel's character for me, for now. There won't be a sequel to this, and at this point I don't have any plans to write anything else involving them. I've been writing a lot of Quinntana recently, which is probably what I'll be continuing with for now (if anyone's interested in reading that).**

**Uh, I don't really have much else to say - if you want to keep updated on anything that I'm writing, feel free to follow me on Tumblr (quinntwicetana), because I'll probably be posting stuff on there in future. **

**Thank you all once again. **

**-R :)**


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